This feature originally appeared in the 2025-26 Winter edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. 



Confidence is a key attribute in any athlete's arsenal. With it comes motivation and a feeling of purpose. Without it comes disbelief and imposter syndrome.

But how does one develop confidence? For Abby Herscu of the California women's swimming & diving team, it was due to many factors - especially since she didn't take the 'traditional' route to becoming a Division I student-athlete or member of the United States National Team.

Herscu, who grew up just down the road in Livermore, was late to the game by swimming standards. Most elite swimmers are in the pool by age 1 or 2. Herscu hit the water for the first time at age 8 and competed in her first race for the Livermore Fireballs at 11.

"By then everyone else was way more competitive," Herscu said. "They had been racing since they were 4 so it was a little intimidating. But I decided to give it a shot and it was so much fun."

Herscu became a regular in summer leagues. and when the ribbons and prizes started to accumulate, she and her parents - Hilary and Gabriel Herscu - decided to start taking swimming seriously.

That turned out to be a smart decision as Herscu was not only successful, but happy she had found something so rewarding. She took off fast and at 14 years old qualified for both the Junior Olympics and Winter Junior Championships, which was her first high-level meet.

"That's where I was like, 'Oh my gosh. I really want to try and be good at this'," Herscu said. "And my parents were helping push me that it could be something that gets me noticed by colleges and that kind of unlocked that whole realm for me."

Fireballs' head coach and Cal alum Alex Silver explained that qualifying for the Olympic Trials would open a lot of doors, especially to the top Division I programs. So Herscu made that her goal. At the age of 15, Herscu qualified to the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 200-meter breaststroke.

"It was a crazy experience for me at 15," Herscu said "Nobody in my area had ever been able to go to trials and now I was in the pool watching people qualify for the Olympic team."

Although Herscu did not earn a spot on Team USA at that time, she impressed enough to have top-tier programs start reaching out. As a Bay Area native that used to come to Spieker Aquatics Complex to see five-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin compete, the choice was easy. Herscu was going to be a Golden Bear.

From the outside looking in, one might think a swimmer of this caliber would have all the confidence in the world - Olympic Trials by 15 and a spot on an NCAA roster that boasts four national championships. But even when she made the U.S. Junior National Team roster as a junior in high school and got to represent her country on an international level in Budapest and Berlin, Herscu suffered from imposter syndrome.

"I've never been someone that dominates and I really felt like I kind of snuck into some of these meets and on to some of these teams," Herscu said. "Going to that Team USA event was so cool. I'm so grateful. But in reality I wasn't the right person. I don't think I should've gone."

 Herscu may have spoken those fears into existence as she finished toward the end of the pack in most of her races in Budapest and Berlin and was disqualified in two as well. These nightmares began to seep into her psyche and altered her confidence as she headed to Berkeley.

"I came into Cal thinking I've snuck my way into everything thus far and that they're just giving me a chance by letting me be on the team," Herscu said "I was joining a really high-pressure team and was so nervous about what college was going to bring."

Her senior year of high school was difficult. She had added a lot of time to her races and was met with turbulence in her personal life as well with her grandfather passing away right when she left for Cal.

Herscu's freshman year was just as challenging as she had mono for four months, which kept her out of the pool and out of the all-important midseason meets that swimmers often use to earn NCAA qualifying times. If that weren't enough, she also broke her nose in a scooter accident.

During one of her first meets back at Cal, with her parents and grandparents in attendance at Spieker, Herscu turned in a time of 2:27 in the 200-yard breaststroke, which was 15 seconds slower than her best time from high school. Needless to say, she did not achieve her goal of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

"I had built up this dream in my head since high school, but nothing had gone the way I planned," Herscu said. "It was a really difficult time. I had to sit with myself and figure out if I even wanted to keep swimming or if it was time to hang up the cap and goggles."

Ultimately, after talking with the Cal coaches, her family, and some of the upperclassmen on the team, Herscu decided to stay in the pool for her sophomore year and use every available resource that the athletics department has to offer. She visited her strength coach more often, started utilizing the mental performance consultants at the Cameron Institute, and started focusing on her eating habits and sleep hygiene.

"I figured you only get to do this once in your life so why not do it to the best of your capabilities," Herscu said.

She saw a huge change her sophomore year as she dropped times, qualified for NCAAs, and was overall much happier. That said, confidence was still an issue.

"It was a serious mindset shift for me which was great, but it still wasn't perfect," Herscu said. "There was still a fear of 'I'm still not that good, I'm still not that good.' Even though I was doing everything right and trying my best, I couldn't break the fear. It's hard for athletes because you are your sport, so when you're not performing, it's almost like you're not a good person."

Herscu was on the right track but still fell short of her own standards as she didn't compete well at the NCAA Championshps as a sophomore. Already battled-tested from her freshman year, she knew once again she had to continue to grow. As she entered her junior year, she began to look at the upperclassmen for the secret to success.

"I saw that (former teammates) Mia Motekatis and Margaux McDonald were so composed and confident in themselves," Herscu said. "They had it figured out. Here are these veterans that know exactly what they have to do.

"I tried to channel that into my own version of that. I began channeling belief in myself through how I was acting, how I was thinking, and who I was surrounding myself with. And I think junior year was the first time I started to believe in my capabilities."

The belief paid off. Not only did Herscu qualify for the NCAA Championships, she earned a spot in the A-final and placed eighth in the 200 breaststroke. Earlier in the season she clocked a time of 2:07.60, which is the third-fastest time in Cal history.

Last summer, Herscu attended the USA Swimming National Championships trials and took fourth in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:26.87 - dropping four seconds from her previous best time. This landed her a spot on Team USA and qualified her for the 2025 World University Games in Berlin.

Herscu credits her support system in this journey. She called her parents every day. She looked to her teammates and her coaches. One coach in particular, associate head coach David Marsh, was always in her corner with the perfect blend of support and honesty. For Marsh, he hopes every incoming Bear looks at Herscu's story.

"Her development has been about as good as you could wish for anyone during the course of a career," Marsh said. "After a rough first couple of years she just turned her focus to be more of a professional approach in swimming. She trusted being coached, and when you commit to the program we have here and do the extra things, it's almost a guarantee for success. I think one of the biggest shifts was in her mindset when she decided she wasn't going to swim behind the other Cal breaststrokers anymore."

Herscu is now in her senior season and has stepped into a leadership role on a team that has a bevy of young, talented underclassmen. It has come full circle now as she gets to be the veteran providing guidance to those who are just beginning their college careers.

Although she doesn't look back fondly at her first two seasons, Herscu is grateful they happened.

"When I look back, I could say I wish I hadn't gone through the things I went through freshman year, but I actually feel so strong and competent because of it," Herscu said.