Three times a day, twenty hours a week, one thousand and forty hours a year. This is the time required to change someone from a normal person into a star athlete.

Sometimes you have to learn to run before you can walk. In the case of junior Mackenna Briggs, she learned to swim before anything else.

When Briggs got in a swimming pool for the first time, she was only five. Since then, she has never looked back. Over the course of her career, she has won an event at state, multiple events at regionals, and achieved a Jr. National time in the 400 individual medley.

Briggs also had many impressive Liberty records. She has the team record for six of the eight events.

Briggs’ workout schedule consists of many lengthy practices packed full of complex drills, and above all, a lot of yardage.

“I do three practices a day during high school swim: one before school, one immediately after, and another after that,” Briggs said. “If you know that you won’t be able to put the hours in, you won’t get very far. You need to be dedicated. Success is not something you can find or run in to by luck. Success is earned, and it doesn’t come easy.”