Mitchell Case is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Barry Goldwater for AZPreps365.com

Junior Mar Seggara Guillen has been a Barry Goldwater Bulldog for only this one season, but she has definitely left her mark.

Segarra Guillen is a foreign-exchange student who hails from a small beach town in Spain. She transferred here before the start of the school year.

“I loved my town and the beach and all the nature around it and all the people there,” Segarra Guillen said.

“She has been amazing from Day 1,"  said Mary Vanhoy, the host parent for Segarra Guillen. "It helps when the student wants to come, opposed to students whose parents send them here. It was her idea and she embraced it, even with COVID. She’s been super easy-going, having to work from home.”

Segarra Guillen also has left a strong impression on coach John Bundy.

Bundy was impressed with how she has helped other American athletes expand their horizons and perspectives about a different culture. Bundy also was impressed with her extreme work ethic.

“She is a dream athlete,'' Bundy said. "Everything you ask her to do she does and even the days we really pushed her she just kept swimming.”

Her work ethic doesn’t apply only to swimming. Vanhoy said that Segarra Guillen always tries to improve her English and is excited about trying new things here in America.

“She loves to get involved with anything the family does and she is very proud of her accomplishment and becoming athlete of the month,” Vanhoy said.

Segarra Guillen was recognized as the Barry Goldwater Athlete of the Month for her stellar work in the pool. Segarra Guillen ranks 27th in the state for the 200-yard individual medley, clocking in a blazing time of 2:28.96. Segarra Guillen also excels in the 100-yard backstroke, posting an impressive time of 1:07.89, good enough for 26th in the state.

“I just really love to swim, it’s so fun and I really like being on this team with all these people,'' Segarra Guillen said.

While Segarra Guillen hopes she can reach state, Bundy was just happy that she was part of the team. He thought she exceeded expectations.

“You never know when you get the emails, whether how legit they are, so I expected her to be a good swimmer,'' Bundy said. "I didn’t expect the super positive attitude and her work ethic.”

Bundy raved about Segarra Guillen's transition from Spain to the U.S., even with the language and culture barrier.

“In the beginning, she would have to act out and motion what stroke she had to do,'' Bundy said. "She never worried about yards or meters, she just went out there and swam.”

“Even though my English isn’t very good, he is still able to very much help me and my swimming,” Segarra Guillen said about Bundy.

Even though Segarra Guillen still is unsure if she qualified for the state meet in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley, her team and coach will definitely be there to support her either way.