Since arriving at Amherst, Meaghan Stern ’09 has been an instrumental part of the women’s swimming and diving team. In her first two years, Stern helped lead the Jeffs to fourth and second place finishes in the NCAA National Championships, respectively. This year, with the addition of her younger sister, first-year Kendra Stern, the Jeffs hope for another top-five finish. With the way both of the Sterns have been swimming this season, Amherst once again seems poised for success at the national level.
The Jeffs are lucky to have one Stern, let alone both of the sisters. Many younger sisters see college as an opportunity to finally escape the shadow of their older sibling. However, Meaghan had strong feelings about Kendra coming to Amherst.
“Last fall when Kendra came on her recruiting trip, I was not sure whether it would be better for me to hang out with her, or whether I should keep my distance,” said Meaghan. “She definitely never liked to be referred to as Meaghan’s little sister.”
The two siblings have always been close, but at such a small school, it can be difficult to be your own person and to not always be compared and confused with your sibling. “I was also looking at Williams, but in the end I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. It was kind of a hard decision, I was worried about being the little sister again—in high school I was always ‘Meaghan’s little sister,’ ‘Mini-Meaghan,’ or ‘Little-Stern,’—and not being my own person. But it has ended up being almost the opposite.”
Kendra and Meaghan both feel that they have been able to maintain individual identities at Amherst. Furthermore, Amherst has proved to be an opportunity for the sisters to become closer than ever. Being on the same team, swimming the same stroke and being part of the same relay, they constantly see each other. “We are definitely closer now than we have been, and we spend a lot of time together, being on the swim team and just in general,” said Kendra. “I don’t know what I would do without her here, she is the best person to ask all my questions to and it’s nice to have someone around who knows me really well.”
Added Meaghan, “Around school, we see each other pretty much every day. Beyond swimming, we also try to have some quality sister-time, if it’s going out to dinner or just sitting and watching TV for an hour.”
Arguably, the Sterns are the best freestylers in Amherst women’s swimming history. Surprisingly, both Meaghan and Kendra were somewhat late bloomers. Meaghan did not start swimming competitively until the middle of her sophomore year of high school, and Kendra’s career really began to take off during her junior year of high school. Now, as both swimmers are swimming some of their best times ever, they can continue to push each other and provide a friendly sibling rivalry. “This past weekend, [Kendra] erased the Amherst freestyle records in everything she swam,” said Meaghan. “She’s just super fast. It’s the one time I actually hope people will get us confused.”
Additionally, the two practice together in the same lane and feed off each other in their training sessions. “We train in the same lane most of the time and she kicks my butt a lot,” said Kendra. “Racing against her is a new thing for me this year, I like racing her because I know that she really wants me to do my best and she really pushes me on the second half.”
There are never any hard feelings between the two if one finishes ahead of the other, in either practice or a meet. In fact, the sisters want each other to outperform the other as they compete in several relays together. “My favorite thing about being on the same team as Meaghan is the relay,” said Kendra. “At NESCACs this last weekend we were on four relays together and we won three of them, and even the one we didn’t win, we still set a college record.”
This past weekend, Kendra Stern had her best collegiate meet, as she was named Swimmer of the Meet. “As a big sister, I am so proud of her,” said Meaghan. “She’s had a great swim season so far. There is definitely more to come in Nationals.”
The National Championship is the last meet the Jeffs have to focus on and prepare for. Although people may confuse the two swimmers at the meet, because of their last name and fast times, Kendra and Meaghan will undoubtedly be a key part of the Jeffs’ success.