OLIVIA DILORATI OF COLORADO COLLEGE, a senior on the women’s swimming & diving team, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week beginning February 1, 2016.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Olivia Dilorati of Colorado College, a senior on the women’s swimming & diving team, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the period beginning Feb. 7, 2016.
Dilorati certainly is the kind of student-athlete that even the best of the best can emulate.
The product of Braintree, Mass., works tirelessly to get the most out of her college experience, whether it be in the classroom, the community, overseas, and of course, the pool.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Dilorati has studied abroad on three occasions, first in 2012 at the University of Siena, where she immersed herself in Italian language studies, and most recently at the University of Geneva, where she learned about international relations/multilateral diplomacy for five months during the 2014 fall semester.
One of Dilorati’s most memorable academic experiences was assistant professor Andrew Price Smith’s class in Eastern Europe which explored the political psychology of Eastern Europe from World War II through the Cold War. That class proved to be an impetus to changing her major to political science.
When her academic and athletic responsibilities permit, Dilorati devotes a large amount of time to campus organizations and community service.
She has held several leadership roles in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, including terms as service and philanthropy director and chief operating officer.
As service and philanthropy director, Dilorati planned and promoted community service events, including one that raised approximately $10,000 for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
In her role as chief operating officer, she oversaw the chapter’s event director and human resource manager, and was chair of the risk management team.
Dilorati also is a fixture on campus, serving on the committee that organized and planned Colorado College’s largest annual campus music festival, Llamapalooza, as a freshman in 2014.
She also volunteers at Will Rogers Elementary School where she teaches students about leadership skills.
Being a leader comes naturally for Dilorati, and one look at the Schlessman Natatorium record board is all anyone needs to appreciate her impact on the program.
CC’s co-captain currently holds the individual school records in four events – the 100-yard butterfly, the 100 and 200 backstrokes and the 200 individual medley. She also is part of record-setting efforts in four of five relays.
Dilorati may well add another record in the 800 free relay later this month. At the CC Classic in January, she teamed with Erin Holmes, Justina Zuckerman and Emily Harrison to a pool record with a clocking of 7:59.81, which is just 6.82 off the mark which was set in 2011.
Dilorati also has made an indelible mark on the swimming and diving program through her many conference championships and NCAA appearances.
In her first three seasons, she won six individual titles at the SCAC championships, which is a Colorado College record and ties her for ninth place in conference history. She also has been part of seven winning relay teams, giving her a total of 13 conference titles.
Despite missing the first half of 2014-15 season while studying in Switzerland, Dilorati returned to set the school and SCAC open record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.28. At the 2014 conference championships, she combined with Erin Holmes, Annalise Grigereit and Brenna Day to set the SCAC open and school mark in the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 3:30.82.
Dilorati, who owns nine individual all-SCAC certificates and 12 more as part of relay foursomes, has made a pair of trips to the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships and is determined to compete again this year both as an individual and as a member of at least one relay team.
After graduating in May, Dilorati plans to pursue a career in athletics.