From then on it was a constant trip from competition to competition for this promising young athlete whose biggest challenge was getting from one event to the next. Coming from a land-locked pedigree (there are no other swimmers in the family) swimming turned out to be her focus. As a young child she found herself beating kids five years her senior. At age 12, when she qualified for nationals, Andrea saw her potential in swimming. She then dedicated herself to the sport. This dedication paid off, and by the time she reached her senior year in high school, she had three national records, 12 national titles, Olympic trial qualifying times, and scholarship offers from several NCAA Division I schools. Appropriately, Andrea was named New Jersey Athlete of the Year in 1990.

Next came college, and Andrea chose Texas. She was now a teammate of swimmers that she had, just a couple of years earlier, chased for autographs. Living her athletic dreams at Texas, she was a part of an NCAA Championship team, an 18-time All-American, conference champion, and member of the U.S. National team. While achieving excellence in athletics, Andrea earned her degree in
kinesiology with a minor in business.

After hanging up her suit after college, Andrea set he sights on a professional adult life. When her job with Speedo took her to a triathlon, she decided to pack her bike and goggles and give it a try. With no training and no expectations, she won her age group. Triathlon had entered her life. Focusing on sport and training for the first time since retiring from swimming, she set goals and pursued the sport much like she did early in her swimming career. Her focus, hard work and natural ability paid off immediately. After committing herself to training, she raced in her first half-Ironman where her inexperience showed. Although leading the entire race, Andrea didn’t know that she had actually won when she crossed the line. She won’t make that mistake again.

Finding a lack of competition in her age group, Andrea soon turned pro. Finishing her season at her first Hawaii Ironman, she was the top female rookie finisher, coming in 13th overall. This top-15 distinction earned her a spot in the following year’s event.

After this quick start in the sport, Andrea has continued her steady rise to the top of triathlon. An attractive and articulate athlete, Andrea is pursued as a celebrity participant in many events, as well as a contributor in publications such as Triathlete Magazine, City Sports Magazine and Xtri.com.  She is also available for race commentary and public speaking engagements.