Alisha Yee is someone who has always been willing to put in the extra work needed to perform well, and this season is no exception.

Having already won all six of her individual events and one relay this season, Yee has become a valuable piece to BG swimming.

“You can’t really explain how important [Yee’s performances] are,” said coach Keri Buff. “They are invaluable.”

That is a pretty big compliment for a junior on a team that features seven seniors. But compliments also come from those senior teammates.

“She is the toughest person I have ever met,” said senior Michael Carriaga. “I have never ever seen her not give 100 percent effort.”

Since she came to BG three years ago, Buff said she’s enjoyed watching as Yee has become not only smarter and faster, but also more driven and willing to do anything asked of her.

“It’s nice to see her be rewarded for all her hard work,” Buff said. “If she stays on the track she’s on, there’s no stopping her.”

Carriaga also had high praise for Yee’s work ethic, saying it affects the entire team.

“She is so driven that it rubs off on you,” Carriaga said. “You’ll see her pushing herself even when she’s exhausted.”

The Mid-American Conference has taken note of Yee’s recent success as well by naming her the MAC Swimmer of the Week for her performance this past weekend.

The honor is the first of its kind for Yee in her career, but not the first MAC honor she has received. Last season she was named to the All-MAC first team and appears to be well on her way to the same honor this year.

Despite all the high praise, honors and awards, Yee still thinks the team’s overall performance is more important than any individual feat she achieves.

In order to continue to help her team achieve that success, Yee knows she still needs to improve on several areas of her swimming.

“There are a lot of things I need to improve on,” Yee said. “Any opportunity I get to get better, I’m going to do what it is.”

Yee said some areas that need improvement are her race strategy and to get faster as the season goes on despite posting times close to her personal bests already this year.

Another thing Yee has her eyes set on this year is school records. She was quick to note that she is exactly a half of a second off the school record in the 100-yard backstroke. Yee also ranks third on BG’s all-time list for the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke.

Her next opportunity to shine for the Falcons comes this weekend at Cooper Pool in two MAC meets against Ohio University and Miami.