GREENFIELD — Before Megan Coffin plunges into the pool for any meet, the Greenfield-Central senior lets her personality shine through.
Sometimes, Coffin lets loose at poolside and other times she displays her playful swagger hours before a race. Competing and having fun are her primary philosophies, and they lock her into the moment.
“I like to dance. I’m not good at it, but I like to mess around,” Coffin laughed. “Some people focus a lot, and they stress out too much about it. You just have to have fun with it and enjoy the time while you have it.”
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Over the past four years, Coffin has had the time of her life, and it was undeniable during her final season, which led the 2019-20 Hancock County Swimmer of the Year to a pair of top-16 finishes inside her future home.
As an IUPUI commit, Coffin reached the Indiana High School Athletic Association girls swimming state meet hosted at the IU Natatorium every February since her freshman year.
In her final go-around, however, she had a reason to cut a rug.
Coffin finished 13th in the 100-yard butterfly and 12th in the 100 breaststroke with times of 56.70 and 1:05.07, respectively. Progression has been the key, Greenfield-Central head coach Emily Logan emphasized, but there’s a lot to be said for hard work, too.
A club swimmer with the Greenfield Community Aquatic Team since the age of 6, Coffin isn’t the tallest at 5-foot-2 or the fastest initially, but she was a conditioned competitor.
“She was a little kid when (my husband, Mark, and I) came in eight years ago, and she’s one of those that truly worked her way to where she is at now,” Logan said. “When she gets a goal in here mind, she gets very driven and really goes after it and does everything she can to make that happen.”
Her family dynamic didn’t hurt either. With four brothers (Aaron, Josh, Jared and Mitchell, who is her twin), Coffin learned to stand her ground from her first steps, and it translated into her kick.
“We grew up just competing for everything, and since I was the only girl, I had to work a lot harder, but it didn’t work out most of the time because they were bigger,” Coffin joked. “But, it really helped learning how to compete.”
Her sibling-rivalry defeats taught her humility, while her parents, Tim and Tina, encouraged her to remain persistent, which propelled her towards five school records in the individual medley, breaststroke, butterfly and a pair of relays.
As a freshman, Coffin competed in the 100 breaststroke and finished 29th at 1:10.41, unable to secure a second-day swim at state. She cultivated a close friendship with Carley Logan, the daughter of Mark and Emily, who also appeared at four straight state meets.
Carley Logan owns the school’s freestyle swimming records, and it motivated Coffin to follow suit in her specialties.
As a sophomore Coffin placed 28th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.60, and she was part of the Cougars’ 400 freestyle relay team that took 27th.
As a junior, her projection changed during her third state appearance. Coffin tied for 19th in the 100 butterfly at 57.20 and was 12th in the 100 breaststroke at 1:05.13, marking her first advancement into the consolation finals.
“It was the goal (to make state every year). I wasn’t really expecting it my freshman year, though, mostly because in my two events I was facing (Mt. Vernon’s) Lydia Tierney (at sectional), and I knew her times were faster than mine,” Coffin said. “Since they moved me from butterfly to breaststroke my freshman year that gave me a chance to get to state, so after that first year, I kind of knew I could go the next three, but it was adding events each year is what surprised me.”
Logan wasn’t shocked by her versatility.
“Over the last two years, she really wanted to kick it up to the next level, even club swimming wise. That’s what really pushed her,” Logan said. “For her, that’s been huge and a big boost we needed on the girls side. We needed somebody placing and coming back that Saturday. It’s hard. Indiana is fast, but for her to comeback those last two years and get a second swim it helps our younger girls see that it’s possible.”
Coffin doesn’t confine her leadership skills to the pool. She is an active volunteer at Brandywine Community Church and intends to pursue a degree in social work at IUPUI.
She nearly made the Junior Nationals last spring in the breaststroke, just missing the mark by two seconds while competing at the USA Swimming Futures Meet.
“I made futures, so once I got that, my next goal was junior nationals, which I was going to try to go for it again this year, but that got cancelled (due to COVID-19),” Coffin said. “I just want to go back and do what I love to do, and since I can’t do it right now, and it’s kind of hard to find a pool to swim in, I’m sort of stuck.”
But, she’s far from done.
With college ahead, Coffin continues to lead the team while her senior year winds down. She’s steering “fun facts” night for the team, which gets together on Zoom to keep in touch — and have fun.
Then, hopefully once the Coronavirus pandemic fades away, she will take the next step.
“I’m so excited. I’m grateful I’m able to swim in college because swimming has been a really big part of my life since I was 6,” Coffin said. “So, being able to go on and still do it, it means a lot to me.
“I’m very grateful for it. I really couldn’t have done it without Mark and Emily (Logan) and without my team. It is kind of sad, just knowing it was my last year with everyone, but it will always be something I remember.”
And if not, she can go back to the state meet rebroadcast for confirmation.
“I was jumping around (at state),” Coffin said. “When they showed it on TV, they put the camera on some of the girls, and they were jumping around with me, having fun. I was waving my hands and trying to focus still, but it was fun.”
