A different person from Charlotte Latin Athletics is featured on the first Tuesday of each month with twenty questions to help the CLS community get to know some of our athletes, coaches, and supporters a bit better.
 
We kick off 2023 with Ivy Monk, a junior swimmer who shines academically and athletically and has recently committed to compete for The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a varsity Hawk, Ivy has placed in the top three in every event she's competed in at both the conference and state championships, and she has high hopes for this year's team. Read on to get to know a bit about Ivy, and her journey from summer swim to collegiate commit.
 
1. When did you start school at Latin?
I have been at Charlotte Latin since kindergarten and I love it. I think our campus is gorgeous, the teachers are so nice and approachable, and I love the community and how much everyone trusts each other. I think Honor Above All is so important and Latin has taught me values that will be with me the rest of my life.  
 
2. Who makes up your immediate family?
My dad is Coy. He works as an investment manager and loves golfing. He always wears a blue and white striped shirt, which is kind of a family joke. My mom is Laura. She went to Carolina and enjoys doing a lot of things like working out, walking our dogs, playing tennis, and hanging out with us. My brother Albert is 13 and he goes to boarding school at Woodberry Forest in Virginia. He plays a lot of sports, is super athletic, and is obsessed with all sorts of vehicles like NASCAR and Formula 1. Then there's my sister, Laura Gray, who is 11 and in sixth grade at Latin. She swims a little bit and used to play basketball. She's very creative. Then we have two dogs, Chase and Teddy. They're ball-obsessed and the sweetest dogs. Chase is actually Teddy's uncle.
 
3. How would you describe your family's dynamic?
We all get along really well, I think. Especially as we've gotten older, my siblings and I have definitely gotten closer. With Albert being at boarding school, it's actually brought us closer because we realized how much we miss each other. I drive my sister to school every morning and even though we are not morning people, I really enjoy that time with her. We are both big Taylor Swift fans, so when her new album came out we listened to that on repeat.
 
4. Do you have a favorite subject or a specific class that you enjoy(ed)?
I really love Señor Caraballo. I had him in eighth and tenth grades. His presence and vibe were so amazing, especially because I had his class early in the morning and it was a great way to start the day. I really enjoy American Studies this year with Mr. Weiss. It's very different than the other classes. I like that it's discussion-based and I can hear the opinions of my classmates. I've learned a ton in his class. I am also loving biology this year with Dr. Gee. His teaching style is kind of similar to Mr. Weiss and he's brilliant. Some of the concepts we cover are hard to grasp and there's a ton of vocab, but I've learned so much. Then there's orchestra, which I have first period. I play the viola and have had the same teachers since fifth grade, and I love that continuity and that it's different from everything else that I do.  
 
5. How did you get started on your swimming journey? Did you ever try other sports?
I played a ton of sports. I did Charlotte Junior Soccer, that was probably the first sport I tried. We really just kicked the ball around. I did a ton of gymnastics and ballet because I was really flexible and loved doing cartwheels and that sort of thing. I started swimming by doing lessons when I was really, really young. Then I did summer league at Charlotte Country Club and when I was around seven I had a sort of breakout year, if you would call it that. I'd be the anchor on the freestyle relay team and go in behind but I'd catch up and win and everyone got really excited. I won the high point award that year and that's when people started telling my parents I should swim year-round. I've been on the team with SwimMAC since I was ten.
 
6. Year-round swimming is a very time-consuming sport. What does your training schedule look like?  
We swim from 4:00-6:30 Monday through Friday, followed by lifting or dryland exercises from 6:45-8:00 p.m. Saturdays we usually train from 12-3 and then again on Sunday from 7-10 a.m.
 
7. Do you ever wish you had time to do other sports?
Not really. I don't like running, and I never shot the ball in basketball. I'm too tall for gymnastics, and I really enjoy swimming. I like doing pickleball and a little bit of tennis, like when we're on vacation, but I'm happy to be swimming.
 
8. What's it like being part of the Latin swim team?  
I love Latin swim! It's so much fun and it's a lot different than club swim. Even though I don't attend the Latin practices, I'm able to get to know the seasonal swimmers and I really enjoy meeting people through the swim team that are not in the same grade or classes. It's a whole different community and we have a lot of fun together. I love competing for and representing Latin at the conference and state championships, and being on the relays with those girls is awesome because we're all competing for the same goal.  
 
9. There are two new coaches this year for the varsity team. Has that been an adjustment?  
Coach Chadwick is awesome. He's so energetic and fun. I also really love having Coach Matrejek on the team. She's super nice and helpful and provides a new set of eyes. I love that we've continued Coach Patty's tradition of awarding Tough Nuts after meets, and I love that she still comes to watch us and cheer us on.
 
10. You recently committed to swim at Carolina. What was the recruiting process like for you?  
I took three recruiting trips and UNC was first. I didn't know what to expect at all, but I met a bunch of girls on the team who took me out to dinner and were immediately nice and welcoming and easy to talk to. There weren't that many recruits there that weekend, so it felt intimate and I got to know those girls a bit too. I was looking for a school that had a balance of both strong academics and athletics, along with a good social experience, but I didn't want to go too far away because I'm a bit of a homebody. When I was visiting, we took a tour of campus and got to go down to the field in Kenan Stadium. Standing there, surrounded by the stands and seeing all that gorgeous blue and the logo, I think that's when I knew.   
 
11. Did your connection to UNC through your mom play a role?  
Deep-down, I think I always knew I wanted to go to UNC, even if I didn't consciously realize it. Growing up with my mom, cousins, and other family members who went there meant I grew up cheering for the Tar Heels. I really like that UNC is strong in so many sports, across the athletic department, and I'm looking forward to going to see football, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and others compete and hopefully get to know some of those athletes as well.
 
12. Amy Dragelin '19 swims there. Did you know her from SwimMAC?  
Yes! Actually, it's kind of a full circle life moment. When I was really little, I was in either JSL (Junior Swim League) or one of the early SwimMAC groups and I had practice right after school. My mom asked around to find a responsible older student to walk with me from Latin to the MAC pool, and she found Amy! So she'd wait for me and we'd walk over to practice together. It's so cool to see her there now as a senior captain and see her doing so well.
 
13. Are you glad to have your college decision made already in your junior year?
I feel so relieved. It does feel really early to commit to a college in the first semester of my junior year, but I am really happy with my decision and now I can just focus on my academics and my swimming without the pressure.
 
14. What has been the swimming accomplishment you're most proud of so far?  
I would say verbally committing to swim at UNC is one of my biggest accomplishments that I'm most proud of because it reminds me of how far I have come in my swimming. It's always been a dream of mine to swim at the collegiate level, so achieving that encourages me to keep working hard for my goals knowing that the hard work and dedication pays off.
 
15. Do you have any goals set for this Latin swimming season?
l think we can win states. Obviously, we want to win conference champs again, but the guys have been crushing it at states and I think the girls' have a really good chance of winning too this year.  
 
16. Alright, let's finish with some fun questions. What is a talent or hobby of yours that most people don't know about?
I really enjoy making jewelry. I don't do it as much as I used to just because I don't have a lot of free time, and when I do, I'm usually taking a nap.
 
17.  Do you have a splurge food or favorite dessert?
I love all kinds of desserts and candies. I love ice cream. And the pistachio pizza from Inizio. It's so good.
 
18. What is your favorite form of exercise?
Definitely swimming. I also tried Pilates during Covid and I loved that. It was different than any exercise that I'd done and I did it with my mom, so that was fun.
 
19. Who is a sports figure you admire?  
I love Missy Franklin. She's so happy and humble and I think she's an amazing person.
 
20. What has been your favorite Latin sports memory so far?  
I think it was last year at conference championships when they announced the score. They said Country Day was the third-place team, and then they said, "…and the winner, by one point…" When they said "Charlotte Latin," we all just started screaming. It was so exciting and we were all going crazy.  (Watch it on video here.)