KNOXVILLE, TENN. - Edwardsville High grad Bailey Grinter is closing the book of a remarkable swim career at the University of Tennessee.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Grinter has seven All-American certificates in her brilliant career at the University of Tennessee. She has three gold SEC Medals in the 200 free relay and 400 Medley Relay in 2019 and the 200 free relay in 2018.
She was honored with second-team All-SEC in 2020, the SEC Academic Honor list and 2018 CSCAA All-American in 2018. She recorded a 21.9 in the 50 free, 48.91 in the 100 free, 52.97 in the 100 backstroke and 200 back (2:01.40).
While at Edwardsville High School, she was the first state champion in swimming from Edwardsville High School, a four-time YMCA national champion and member of the Edwardsville YMCA and Waterworks swim teams. She is the daughter of Greg and April Grinter. She has four siblings: triplets: Isabella, Autumn and Savannah and a brother, Evan. The entire Grinter emerged as top-notch Edwardsville swimmers after Bailey’s legendary time at EHS and with the YMCA Breakers.
Bailey’s mom, April, and dad, Greg, enjoyed her Senior Night recently when they beat the University of Georgia. Bailey loved the meet for multiple reasons, especially that her team upset the Bulldogs.
“Mom and dad, Isabella and Savannah, were there for my Senior Night,” she said. “It meant a lot to me, especially because of COVID, we haven’t had a lot of meets. It was nice they could come to one of my meets my senior year.”
“It was my last home meet and it was emotional, especially at the beginning,” Bailey added. “I teared up a little bit during senior recognition.”
Bailey’s future hope is to be a biologist. Her college concentration is ecology with considerable field research.
She is an outstanding student and recipient of the Price/Wheeler Women’s Athletic Endowed Scholarship.
In the SEC meet last weekend, Mona McSharry, Trade Rothrock, Grinter and Tjasa Pintar captured the bronze in the 400 relay with a time of 3:13.30.
Grinter’s next big aspiration is to compete at the Olympic Trials. She focused much of her college efforts in the 50 and 100 free, but she was a champion in the backstroke in high school.
Bailey said she loved her time as an Edwardsville swimmer and appreciated the coaches and her parents for helping all the way.
“I definitely would not be the person I am today without that experience,” she said. “It taught me a lot about who I am and gave me confidence in myself if I sat out to do something, I just had to put in the work.”
More like this:
