LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Erin Trahan was always an athlete; but from a young age, it seemed the water was where she fit in best. 

“She’s loved swimming ever since she was a little bitty girl,” said her mother Andrea Trahan, “it’s always been her favorite sport.”

A trip that originally was meant for her brother, turned Erin to the sport that she would continue for years.

“We were looking for something for him to do,” explained Andrea, “so we brought him thinking swimming was going to be his thing and she had to tag along because she was the littler sister.”

From that moment on, Erin and her family knew, she would have a career in the water.

“She jumped in, swam to the other side and whoever won the heat, they gave a ribbon to,” said her father Davy, “she went to the other side, got up, got the ribbon before any other kid touched the wall.”

Erin received a scholarship to several schools, but chose to go to Southern Methodist in Dallas, TX.

Andrea explained that Erin felt one of the upper classman could help her become even better than she already was.

“We thought and she thought that if she could swim under her, where they could train together for a year she, would give her a lot of guidance and it paid off.”

It did pay off. 

Trahan is now one of the top five performers for SMU in 100 fly and top 10 in 200 fly in school history. 

She also won the 100 fly championship last year and was recently awarded AAC Swimmer of the Week.

While she’s mainly been in the water, swimming wasn’t always her only passion. 

As a former track star and volleyball player, both her parents agree that it helped grow her love for the water even more.

“These day’s a lot of people put a kid in one sport and that’s all they do,” both parents explained, “but early on, our advice is to let them do all the sports and then pick one.”