Emily Dwyer can still picture the moment when her team won it all.
 
It is February 25, 2012, and both the Milwaukee Panther men's and women's swimming and diving teams have the lead entering the final day of the Horizon League Championships at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, Wisconsin.
 
Leading the way as a sophomore, Dwyer – then Emily McClellan – caps off her record-breaking meet with a dominant time in the 200 breaststroke, on the way to winning Athlete of the Year and Swimmer of the Meet honors.
 
The Panthers go on to claim the League title for both the men and women for the first time in school history, and celebration ensues.
 
The song "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas is playing when Dwyer and the rest of her teammates and coaches jubilantly jump into the pool.
 
Yes, all the individual accolades and accomplishments that she would go on to collect during a Hall of Fame career at Milwaukee were great, but it was moments like this that Dwyer experienced with her teammates that she still remembers to this day.
 
"Those wins together, are definitely top highlights of my time at Milwaukee," Dwyer said, smiling as she reminisced.
 

In her four years at Milwaukee, Dwyer became arguably one of the greatest Panthers to compete in any sport. Her entry in Milwaukee's Bud K. Haidet Athletics Hall of Fame — which she was inducted into in 2021 — is filled with several program and League records she broke. It is quite the success story for the farm girl from Delavan, Wisconsin, who never chose to swim; rather, it chose her.
 
Unlike most swimmers, Dwyer's journey in the pool began in her teenage years. Already a dual-sport athlete playing basketball in the winter and softball in the spring, she wanted to add another sport that would keep her busy throughout the entire academic year.
 
"My mom, she was really athletic, and my sister was really athletic too," Dwyer said. "So growing up, oh my gosh, we were in soccer, basketball, every sport. We tried everything. And then, I grew up on a farm, so I also had all my animals and chores and (we went) horseback riding and skiing too. I mean, we just did everything. And I'm really grateful for that, because I was able to try out a bunch of different sports. And … swimming kind of chose me and I fell in love with it."
 
By her sophomore year, Dwyer made it to state and started to come into her own in the pool. As a senior, she was posting some of her fastest times, but much of the college recruiting had already taken place. Of the schools that were offering her a scholarship, picking a place close to home was an important factor. Once she stepped foot on Milwaukee's campus, the people there instantly created a familiar environment that was less than an hour away from where she grew up.
 
"That's what drew me in to Milwaukee," Dwyer said. "I just instantly fell in love with the people. And you know how they say 'when you know, you know'? That's how I felt. Once I was there, they drew me in and that became my family."
 
While touring campus, Dwyer also found a major that was intrigued and reminded her of home: American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies. Delavan is the home for the Wisconsin School of the Deaf. She believes that is why her family, which include several relatives who were deaf or hard of hearing, established roots there. Because of this, the deaf community and ASL were always something she was familiar with. Having a chance to learn more in a classroom setting was an enticing opportunity. She ultimately decided to enroll in the program; a decision that came full circle years later.
 
As previously mentioned, Dwyer had a stellar collegiate career at Milwaukee, which brought along opportunities to compete on the national stage as well. A four-time NCAA All-American, she competed in the NCAA Championships each year and earned three top-10 finishes. In 2014, she was the national runner-up in the 100 breaststroke.
 
Dwyer also competed for Team USA in the 2013 World University Games, winning a bronze medal as a part of the 100 medley relay. One of the highest levels of competition she reached were the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Swimming Trials. After just missing the cut in 2012, she went on to train exclusively for the 2016 Olympics after graduating in 2014. Her head coach at Milwaukee, Kyle Clements, acted as her trainer.
 

Despite all the hard work they put in, Dwyer did not reach her goal of earning a spot on Team USA.
 
"That was a really heartbreaking moment in my career," Dwyer said. "I was at the point of 'well, what's next … do you take four more years of your life to train?' It's one of those sports where every four years the Olympics comes around, and that's the highlight. So at that time, I think I needed to just kind of heal and figure out what's next."
 
Dwyer returned to her family's farm, leaning on her loved ones to help her find a new path in her life without swimming.
 
But while doing several different jobs throughout Delavan, Dwyer realized the town – a place full of lakes – did not have a swim team or any entity that taught kids about water safety. Soon the idea was born: reviving the town's swim team, the Delavan-Darien Dolphins. Kids ages 6-18 are able to join, including children from the Wisconsin School for the Deaf.
 
It was a true "passion project" for Dwyer, allowing her to help her community while still being around the sport that gave her so many amazing memories.
 
After serving as the head coach for a few years, another opportunity presented itself at Delavan-Darien High School. In 2019, she helped start an ASL program and began teaching.
 

 
"(Starting the ASL program) really spoke to my heart," Dwyer said. "I said, 'Okay, this is the path that I I'm ready for and I want to take'."
 
Dwyer has enjoyed every moment of being a teacher, but recently decided to take a break to be with her young family. When she returns, she is most looking forward to seeing her students use what they learn and apply it to everyday life.
 
"When they come back to me, and they are all smiles and lit up, and they are saying, 'Mrs. Dwyer! Mrs. Dwyer! I used my sign language. I spoke to somebody in the community'. That part right there is everything coming full circle," Dwyer said.
 
"The person that they just communicated with could be one of my family members, you know. I just love that. That part is so meaningful, just seeing them take a risk and try something new and just watching them learn."