Lebanon Valley College freshman Garrett Collins wasn't even sure if he wanted to continue swimming at the collegiate level.

His main focus was finding a school that provided a solid Physical Therapy program that he could enroll in out of high school.

After Collins, a 2013 graduate of Salisbury High School, was accepted into the Physical Therapy program at Lebanon Valley, he shifted his focus back to the athletics aspect. He decided, after all, that he wasn't ready to give up the sport he's been playing much of his life.

"After last year, I wasn't really sure," Collins said. "Ending it the way we did on the [Salisbury] swim team with a state title and everything, it was a really good way to end my swimming career almost. I was almost a little bit burnt out in a sense where I was almost done. But I knew that if I went anywhere other than LVC, I probably wouldn't have swam.

"After I got into the PT program, I kind of looked more for swimming. I realized I got a good, solid academic base, and now I want to look for athletics. I went on recruiting trips and stuff. I got to hang out with all the athletes, meet with the coaches and go to swim meets and everything."

Collins' main focus was to just remain competitive for his team as he began his college swimming career. But after a start to the season that includes a number of first-place finishes through five meets, he has his sights set a bit higher.

His personal bests on the season in individual races are: 26.10 seconds in the 50 freestyle, 52.64 in the 100 freestyle, 1:54.87 in the 200 freestyle, 4:40.46 in the 400 freestyle, 5:22.61 in the 500 freestyle, 9:54.22 in the 800 freestyle, and 11:21.58 in the 1000 freestyle.

"The team is great," Collins said. "Basically what I was looking for in school was one that I enjoyed and one that had very good academics, but one that I could also swim at and be competitive. Swimming here has been awesome."

After capping his senior season at Salisbury with a state title, Collins' main goal is to continue improving his personal times.

He's been off to a great start in that aspect, as Collins is already dropping nearly two seconds in all of his events from his senior year of high school. In his eyes, much of that success can be pointed toward getting back to the basics, and the impact that his coach, Mary Gardner, has had on the team.

"I've had a solid base of straight swimming, straight speed work and endurance," Collins said. "I never really got to stop, take a step back and work on my stroke and technique. I think that's what really helps."

Lebanon Valley has never won a Middle Atlantic Conference championship. Collins would like to help the Dutchmen get closer to that level during his career. He also has his eyes set on breaking some records along the way.

"Just seeing the team grow, I think a big goal for me is, by senior year, to get a MAC title," Collins said.

"I think ultimately my goal here at college is to break a couple records. I came here and the records are fast, but they're not out of my reach."

Gardner, who is in the midst of her 17th season at Lebanon Valley, was a big factor in Collins's decision to swim for the Dutchmen.

"The coach is also the aquatics director," Collins said. "She's not really here as the swim coach, but she's here as the aquatics director. She's more focused on us being happy, and us being comfortable, rather than us being in the pool every day working our hardest. She knows that we came here to be students and then athletes. I think that was a really big thing for me."