Senior swimmer Jessica Koenig, recipient of the 2005 Amy Lepping Hardest Worker Award, displays a reserved enthusiasm when discussing the honor. While she’s honored to be recognized as the hardest worker on the team, she’s quick to point out she’s not alone in her efforts.

“It’s great to be called the hardest worker on the team, but the truth is, there are a lot of people who are just as deserving as me,” Koenig said. “Just because I won the award, doesn’t necessarily mean I work harder than anyone else.”

While Koenig might not think she’s deserving of the hardest worker award, the rest of the team would strongly disagree.

Evidence?

She’s earned the same award for three years in a row.

Koenig is to the swim team what Julius Hodge was to the basketball team — an athlete whose intense work ethic serves as a driving force for an entire team.

“She’s definitely a leader for all the girls on the team,” coach Brooks Teal said. “She really sets the bar for toughness and hard work for the freshmen coming in.”

Teammates from both the men and women’s teams agree with Teal’s assessment of Koenig. All-American Cullen Jones labeled his four-year teammate a “training fin-atic.”

“Jessie’s work ethic is amazing — I’ve never seen someone work harder in the water,” Jones said. “She’s a great swimmer and an even better teammate.”

Koenig said her work ethic wasn’t something she acquired on her own. She instead gave credit to a set of “hard-working” parents, insisting they instilled the drive in her.

Growing up outside Charlotte in the small town of Cherryville, Koenig’s father would wake her every morning for a sunrise practice session. While training early in the morning is common among swimmers, Koenig’s method was far from ordinary.

Instead of traveling to a pool to log laps conventionally, Koenig would head to her backyard and plunge into the waters of Moss Lake. With her father by her side — albeit in a kayak — Koenig would navigate across the four-mile lake every morning before heading to school.

The four-mile swim served as preparation for the four-year swim she’d soon encounter in college.

As a freshman at N.C. State, Koenig made waves as a versatile and dedicated swimmer almost immediately. She became proficient in all four strokes, most notably the backstroke and was soon establishing Wolfpack records in several events.

Her 2:03.82 time in the 200 Individual Medley is just milliseconds away from being a school record. Her times in the 400 IM as well as the 200 back are also remarkably close to being all-time bests.

Koenig is now preparing to swim her swan song at the ACC championships next week. She admittedly has conflicting feelings about her final event as a collegiate swimmer.

“I’m a little sad it’s all going to end soon,” Koenig said. “I love the sport, and it’s been my life for 14 years.

“But on the other hand, this sport has been my life for 14 years. Those 5 a.m. swims start to wear on you after a while. So in a way, I’m glad to get it all done.”

In the coming weeks, it will all be done for Koenig as she’ll exit the collegiate waters for good. Her name will be erased from the State roster and added to the wall of records high above the Willis R. Casey Natatorium pool.

Like many graduating seniors, Koenig is still in the dark as to where she’ll be and what she’ll be doing next year. Her list of possible destinations is as versatile as the strokes she swims.

An English major, Koenig has contemplated going to graduate school and becoming a teacher. She’s also considered joining the Peace Corps, enlisting in the naval academy or becoming a swimming instructor.

She also plans to continue competing after college by replacing swim meets with triathlon events.

Whatever road Koenig finds herself on in the future, those who know her say she’ll inevitably find success. With an unrivalled drive and a second-to-none work ethic, it’s almost impossible for her not to.

“I’ll always remember what a hard worker she was,” Teal said. “I know that wherever she is in the future and whatever she’s doing, she’s going to go at it with a maximum effort. She doesn’t know anything other than full speed ahead.”