Her technique is super good.'Īlthough she is one of the youngest girls on Dow's team, Roberson said that her youth hasn't been a problem for her teammates. She has a great catch (position of her hand entering the water). Also, her technique is just about perfect. 'She's 5-11 now, and she probably still has some growing to do. She's grown probably four or five inches in the past 18 months, and what's different about her is that she just turned 15, so she's like a freshman age-wise,' he added. At a meet, she'll watch what's going on, and she's very good at preparing (mentally) for her races. And she's not only competitive, but she notices things. and I would like to continue to drop time at the Valley meet and the state meet as well.'Īccording to Smith, Roberson has a terrific blend of focus, length, and ability. 'I'm just hoping the team does really well at the upcoming (Saginaw) Valley (League) meet and at the state meet. 'I'm doing better than I thought I would,' the soft-spoken Roberson admitted humbly. This year, Roberson has really blossomed, qualifying for the state finals thus far in the 500 free with a time of 5:02.87, which ranks her second in the state in the 200 free with a time of 1:53.11, which ranks her third in the state in the 100 free with a time of 53.17, which ranks her fifth in the 50 free with a time of 24.98, which ranks her 12th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.20 and in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:14.07. In addition to claiming a state championship in the 400 free relay as a 13-year-old freshman, Roberson also helped the Chargers finish second in the 200 free relay in the 2019 state finals, while finishing 13th individually in both the 200 free and 500 free.ĭuring her sophomore season of 2020, Roberson earned All-State honors twice more, placing fourth in the 100 free and sixth in the 200 free.

'My parents got me into swimming, and I just loved it.'

'I just really liked being in the water when I was younger, and I wanted to start swimming,' said Roberson, who began her competitive career with the Midland Dolphins.

Roberson, who has already qualified for this year's state finals in six different individual events, said she began swimming about seven years ago. She really knows the sport, and, as I like to say, no one said that swimming is easy.' And she's that way every day in practice. 'I would probably rank her in the top-two that I've ever coached in that regard. 'And I mean that not only because of her swimming abilities, but also because there are very few athletes I've ever coached in any sport that are as mentally tough as Ella is,' he added.

Highschool prodigy