Cunningham plans to surface with Tulane

Stevenson senior Erin Cunningham wants to pursue a career in architecture.

That makes her choice of Tulane University all the more appropriate because she will be helping to rebuild the Tulane program.

Tulane suspended its swimming program in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The program will relaunch for the 2009-10 school year.

"It's going to be a brand new team of freshmen coming in," Cunningham said. "It will be cool to be part of something new."

Cunningham enjoyed a steady rise at Stevenson high school. Although she made the varsity right away, she knew she had to keep improving to maintain her spot.

"I didn't focus on swimming until high school," she said. "I wasn't the (fastest) swimmer and that motivates you to keep up."

Now, it's the competition that has trouble keeping up.

"She's somebody we could always count on to win any number of events in dual meets," Stevenson coach Karl Milkereit said. "She's a great competitor."

Senior Tori Alland admires how driven her teammate is.

"She came to practice every day with the motivation to train her hardest," Alland said.

Cunningham holds the Stevenson record i n the 200-yard individual medley (2:05.79). She finished in the top 12 in the event at the state meet.

"She would have been able to make the state cut in all the (strokes) this year," Milkereit said.

Cunningham has always enjoyed swimming the individual medley.

"It's a little bit of everything," she said. "I'm not (great) at any one stroke so it plays to my strengths."

Milkereit is excited to follow Cunningham's college career.

"She's somebody who will get the most out of her potential," he said.