Decatur High School senior Alexis Mangalindan, swim and dive, is in the spotlight this week for the Federal Way Mirror’s Female Athlete of the Week.
Q: What is your favorite subject/class in school?
A: My favorite subject in school is science.
Q: What additional activities/hobbies do you enjoy?
A: The hobbies I enjoy outside of my sport are painting, K-pop, listening to music, reading, playing other sports for fun and hanging out with my loved ones and friends.
Q: Person who has helped you succeed the most?
A: My mom is the person in my life who has helped me succeed the most because she is always there to support me in everything I do.
Q: If you could have dinner with anyone (living or from the past), who would it be?
A: I’d have dinner with my Grandma Prudencia Abella because of the stories I’ve heard about her. I’ve never met her, but I would love to have dinner with my lovely, inspiring Grandma.
Q: Describe your pre-game ritual.
A: I get in the water and warm up by doing a 600. The 600 consists of drills, sprints and flip turns. Once I finish, I gry up and head to my lane. While I wait for my heat, I stretch and listen to music to calm my nerves.
Q: Song you currently can’t stop listening to?
A: “Young Luv,” STAYC.
From the sidelines: Alexis Mangalindan, a senior, is a leader of our Decatur High School girls swim program. Her dedication in early season workouts has prepared her to have another successful season for the Lady Gators swim team.
During the fall 2021 championship season, Alexis competed in the West Central District meet in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle as well as 200- and 400-yard relay teams. The relay teams finished in the top 10 with the 400 Relay just one place from qualifying for the state meet. Alexis is a full-time Running Start student earning a 3.538 cumulative grade point average. She is working toward earning her associate’s degree and high school diploma in June.
The Athlete of the Week feature section highlights two athletes from a Federal Way high school each week. Voting for the Athlete of the Year is held in spring with an awards celebration event held in June 2023.