By CHRISTINA FOSTER
Triangle contributing writer
From the pools of Frankfurt, Germany, to swimming lanes at the Wingate University Natatorium, Nina Azirovic’s journey has been part wanderlust, part discipline and entirely unique.
Azirovic, a senior freestyler on the Wingate women’s swimming team, discovered early on the comforting rhythm and challenge of the water while growing up in Frankfurt. Swimming became more than exercise; it was a place where she learned to push herself, to honor routine and to set incremental goals.
“I don’t count laps anymore—I count chances,” she said during a recent practice, referencing each opportunity to get a little stronger, a little faster.
By the time she finished high school in Germany, Azirovic was looking for a university experience that offered more than just good swimming. She wanted a place where she could compete at a high level, travel, join a team culture with depth and still get a strong education. That’s when Wingate floated into view. The Bulldogs’ swim program under head coach Kevin Hennessy had a growing international roster, a history of strong group training and a campus that promised something much different than Europe.
When she arrived as a freshman, Azirovic brought both excitement and the humility of knowing she had a lot to learn. She came prepared to work. “When you arrive ready to work, you realize the water doesn’t care where you’re from,” she says.
Upon arrival, she stepped into a program built on team depth and the idea that the whole can be stronger than the sum of its parts. She quickly found her voice in the locker room, on the deck and in the water. By her junior year, she had been named team captain and had earned All-South Atlantic Conference honors in all of her freestyle events. Azirovic won the SAC championship as a sophomore in the 200-meter freestyle on the way to being named an All-American in that event. She swam on a relay team that scored at the Division 2 nationals.
Taking on that leadership role as the Bulldogs’ captain means many things to Azirovic: being reliable, showing up for every early-morning set and helping younger swimmers feel at home in the pool and locker room. “Our goal isn’t just to win meets, it’s to raise the standard every day, for ourselves and for the next generation,” she says.
Of course, a byproduct of that philosophy is winning, which Azirovic demonstrated Oct. 17 when she led Wingate to a 132-130 upset of Division 1 Queens University in Charlotte. Her first-place finish in the 200 freestyle provided crucial points in the win over the Royals.
Her European background offers her a unique vantage point on life at Wingate. She remembers the first few months of adjusting to life here—the differences in pool depth, training philosophies, even breakfast foods. But she found that the fundamentals of swimming were universal: breathe, push off the wall and keep your mind engaged. It’s a mindset she brings to leadership: “When things get tough, remind yourself what you control.”
As she enters her final year with the Bulldogs, Azirovic sets her sights on a few clear goals: helping her team defend the SAC title, anchoring relays with confidence and leaving the program in a stronger place than when she arrived. She hopes that when younger swimmers look on, they see someone who came from across the Atlantic, embraced a new culture and still managed to make a mark.
In the pool, she still finds joy in the simple things: the feel of the wall under her fingertip at the turn, the quiet moment before the start horn, the camaraderie of teammates in the locker room afterward. But she now also carries the responsibility of captain: reminding others of the small adjustments, the extra stroke, the better break-out.
This season, keep an eye on Azirovic in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events and all the relay teams she anchors. Her story isn’t just about times and medals; it’s about adaptation, leadership and helping a global team feel like home.
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