Mt. Lebanon swimmer finds her passion in the pool
Passion proves the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Just ask Sophia Donati.
Initially, she was indifferent about swimming. Though her mother, Victoria, competed for the University of Pittsburgh and her father, Tom, swam for Westminster College, Donati did not take to the water even when dad gave her a subtle nudge. He started taking her to his practices when he coached at Upper St. Clair High School.
“When I was younger, I was busy doing every other sport but when I was 10, I started swimming. True, that’s a little unusual to start that late but then I fell in love with swimming.”
Donati took to the water when she joined Mt. Lebanon’s aqua club in the seventh grade. Donati gained a sense of belonging. She was on a team and so were many of her friends.
“Going to St. Clair was hard for her because I think Sophia wasn’t sure she’d fit in because we lived here (in Mt. Lebanon). It wasn’t her friends and teammates,,” said Donati’s dad. “Sophia was also just learning and trying to figure out if this was what she wanted to do, if she wanted to be a swimmer.”
Once Donati committed, her career took off. Today, the Mt. Lebanon senior is one of the top freestyle swimmers in the WPIAL and a Bucknell University recruit.
Donati has “a nice stroke” and good technique. She was doing everything right. But one thing was still missing.
“I just did not see the fire or the drive,” Tom said.
As she grew into her teen years, the light bulb went off for Donati.
“My wife and I never really pushed her. One of the things I always told her was ‘Sophia, I don’t care how fast you are, just do it right. And she did. Once she started growing and maturing, she realized, ‘hey, I can be okay at this.’
Donati agreed with the assessment.
“I put myself in that mind set that I could get better and that I can be at the top and be one of the best here. It just kept growing. It was my love of swimming but also my hard work that sparked my desire to grow and become better and increase from there as well.”
Through hard work, Donati has become a champion and a school record holder. She is a WPIAL winner and record-breaker in the medley and 400-yard freestyle relays. She is a state medalist in both races as well. Donati also is a six-time WPIAL medalist. She had medaled three years in a row in the 50 and 100 free races and qualified for the PIAA championships.
“Hard work is one of Sophia’s strengths,” said Tom, who doubles as her varsity head coach of the Mt. Lebanon High School swim team. “Sophia truly loves what she is doing. You watch her and she’s having fun. That is why I tell every parent and every kid, ‘Listen, it’s all about the journey. It’s hard but as you can see the journey is paying off for Sophia.”
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Sophia Donati
The big payoff has been a scholarship to continue swimming in college. Donati decided to accept Bucknell’s offer, while Duquesne, George Washington and the University of Delaware also recruited her.
Academically, Donati fits in well at Bucknell. She is an academic as well as a U.S. Swimming All-American. She also belongs to the National Honor Society and maintains a 4.5 GPA at Mt. Lebanon. She plans to major in English and pursue a law degree at Bucknell.
Athletically, Donati will help the Bison challenge for a Patriot League championship. While she will swim the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races at the 2019 WPIAL championships, Donati will participate in distances anywhere from the 100 to the 1,650 meters at Bucknell.
As an incoming freshman, she has set modest goals. She wants to qualify for the league championships and place, be on a relay and medal too. Ultimately, she want to be top three in any event but acknowledged she is “realistic” about further achievements.
“No NCAAs and no Olympics or anything like that,” she said.
Donati, however, is optimistic about reliving the best moment of her swimming career. She hopes to win the WPIAL team title as well as an individual championship and make it to states.
“My whole experience with my father has been the highlight in my high school career,” Donati said. “Everything I have gone through with him has been awesome. He’s done a great job of balancing everything and although he’s really intense, he wants what’s best for me.”
Donati added that what was the best ever was when her dad placed a medal around her neck at states.
“It was the best feeling. You can’t beat that. I hope to be able to do that one more time because, although he plans to be at every one of my (Bucknell) meets, I’ll miss him being there for me at all times. And, I am going to miss my mom. She’s my No. 1 supporter, my cheerleader. There is nothing I can’t talk to her about. She has been there through all my ups and downs.”
Sophia Donati
Age: 17
Parents: Tom and Victoria
Sibling: Tanner, 14
School: Mt. Lebanon
Year: Senior
GPA: 4.5
Achievements: Academic All-American, National Honor Society, Allegheny Mountain Swimming All-American, WPIAL champion, PIAA medalist, School record holder
College choice: Bucknell
Major: English
Career: Lawyer
Color: Pink. “Actually when I was younger my whole bedroom was done in four different shades of pink!”
Music: Anything by Taylor Swift. “I love her. I have been to a lot of her concerts when I was growing up.”
Food: Chinese from PF Chang’s
Restaurant: BRGR
Favorite athlete: Maya DiRado. The former Stanford swimmer won four medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics, including a gold in the 200-meter backstroke.
Who would you like to have dinner with: Agatha Christe
Hero: My mom. “Her family has battled cancer and she has taught me what true strength is.”
People might be surprised to know this about you: At age 10, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. My diet is gluten free so I have to watch what I eat. No bread. No wheat. But, I remember when I was little, I never ate sandwiches with bread. I didn’t like them.”
What life lesson has your sport taught you? Swimming has taught me to keep believing in my myself and to trust the process. Your mental attitude is 100 percent of everything. There were days when I said “I hate this” but in life nobody said things would be easy. It will be hard. So mentally and physically, swimming has allowed me to become a better, stronger person.”