Plymouth Whitemarsh High School’s Charley Tulio has signed a letter of intent to swim in the NCAA Division I program at Loyola University Maryland. A freestyle sprinter, Tulio is the current school record holder at both 50 and 100 yards.

“Charley, or Chuck as we call her, is a coach’s dream — an athlete with all the talent in the world waiting to burst out,” said Coach Kevin Golebiewski. “In Charley’s first meet as a freshman, she posted a 27.39 in the 50 free. Last year, she broke our school record with a 24.16. That kind of improvement only occurs if you’re willing to put in the work each day. Charley has put in the work and has truly earned her spot on Loyola’s team. I’m confident she will succeed at the next level in her swimming career.” 

A captain of the PWHS Girls Swim Team, Tulio has gone from Rookie of the Year as a ninth-grader to a 2020 State Finalist. In addition to holding the school record, she placed first in the 50-yard freestyle at the 2020 Suburban One League (SOL) meet and was named First-Team All-SOL American Conference. In the 100-yard freestyle, she placed second at the 2020 SOL meet and was named Honorable Mention All-SOL American Conference. In a dual meet against Hatboro Horsham High School on February 5 of this year, Tulio also set the school record for the 100-yard freestyle with a 53.41.

“The competition aspect of swimming is what drew me to it in the first place. Never knowing the outcome is always an exciting rush of nerves when you step up to the block,” said Tulio. “But my favorite thing about swimming is that you always have someone to turn to, because the team creates a second family.”

A member of the National Honor Society, Tulio has also played tennis for Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and is a member of the Cancer Awareness Club. She began her swimming career at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club at age five and has continued to swim for the club in the summer.