USC graduate swimmer Kaitlyn Dobler looks like a natural at breaststroke.
She has dominated the stroke since her freshman year, but her journey to achieving dominance, as she will attest, was not a linear journey and one that took years of effort.
“I was the worst at breaststroke, I couldn’t swim it legally for a really long time,” Dobler said. “And I think part of the reason I love it so much now is I spent a lot of time just trying to figure it out from the very basics.”
Dobler’s dedication and determination to become better at breaststroke ultimately paid off, as she has turned herself into one of the best in the country, winning nine individual conference titles between the 100-yard and 200-yard breastroke, as well as the national title in 2022 for the 100-yard breaststroke, with a then-personal record time of 56.93 seconds.
“I think you have to fail fabulously in order to be successful,” head coach Lea Maurer said of Dobler’s level of intensity and determination. “She just puts herself out there and definitely finds the extra gear and has love of a game at a level, but she loves the competition and it doesn’t impact her.”
In addition to being one of USC’s best breaststrokers, Dobler was also a team captain for the women’s swim and dive team last season, showing how much her teammates look up to her not just for her accomplishments as a swimmer, but also for her leadership.
“I think she’s really spearheaded the program, really culturalized [it],” fellow graduate swimmer Caroline Famous said. “She’s very supportive, and I think she’s kind of led all of us to have this drive to win, to be competitive, but also support the other girls and guys on our team. And it’s kind of just a universally known thing that she is a leader for us, and we’re always pushed to the next level by her.”
Dobler started swimming at the age of three because her parents did not want her to drown. A native of Portland, Dobler initially found an aptitude for the backstroke before committing herself to first swim and then perfect the breaststroke.
All of Dobler’s work paid off in the pool, as she committed to USC to both continue her swimming career and pursue a major and progressive degree program in astronautical engineering.
Even as a freshman, Dobler found out very early on that she would be a major contributor to the USC swim and dive team, where she would go on to perform very well in both dual meets before entering conference- and NCAA-sanctioned competitions.
“It’s definitely an honor to represent this school and the legacy that comes along with the school, and I wouldn’t have wanted to compete for any other school, so it has definitely been an amazing opportunity to compete for USC,” Dobler said.
Among Dobler’s most memorable moments was the 2023-24 season, when, as a senior, she and her team went undefeated in dual meets, including a tight win over Stanford in a dual that came down to the final relay, where the Trojans ultimately prevailed.
“Just watching that on the sidelines was both nerve-wracking, but at the same time, I knew exactly how hard all of those women had worked every single day, and so I had no doubt that they would come out on the other side,” Dobler said.
Dobler has etched her name into collegiate swimming lore, earning CSCAA All-American status every year that she has been on the team. While she has only won the singular national title, Dobler has taken home the conference title in the 100-yard breaststroke every year she has been with USC, while also winning the 200-yard breaststroke in four of her five years between the Big Ten and Pac-12.
When she is not in the pool, Dobler enjoys being outdoors and taking part in outdoor activities like rock climbing, skiing and water skiing. She also enjoys painting and graphic design. Famous, who lived with Dobler in the dorms early in their careers, recalls that she is also an amazing cook.
“I remember the first day we met, she cooked dinner for us in our dorm and it was awesome,” Famous recalled. “She’s such a genuine person and you can just feel that when you meet her.”
Dobler is working on her progressive degree program in astronautical engineering, where she hopes to use her degrees from USC to do something involving human spaceflight or lunar landers.
She also hopes to continue her swimming career and train for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but plans to take some time off before doing so. Dobler also tried out for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but was cut. Despite not making it, she enjoyed the experience immensely. Right now, however, she is focused on her final NCAAs coming up this week.
Despite her success throughout her career, Dobler has worked to not stay complacent in her time as a Trojan.
“NCAAs is always the end goal for us, and I have always finished in the top four at NCAAs, but I’ve only won it once,” Dobler said. “So I think that what kind of drove me to win the conference titles but also put myself in a position where I could place as high as possible at NCAAs.”
Dobler is looking forward to her final opportunity to not only win national titles in the breaststroke, but also help her team win USC its 138th national championship before she graduates. What is more, Dobler missed the first part of the season due to an injury. But now that she is back, she is extra motivated to prove herself one more time in the pool.
“First and foremost, we just want to put our best foot forward and make it a culmination of all the work we’ve done this year,” Dobler said. “I think we’re positioned to do really well, and I’m hoping individually to make it back to a national championship title, and I think all of our women and men have the opportunity to do something really special.”
Maurer knows that no matter what happens in Dobler’s final go-around with the NCAAs, that her genuine personality will take her a long way in life.
“I think she is someone who is one of the kindest individuals,” Maurer said. “I don’t think that she could have a conversation with any human being and not be empathetic and understanding of their point of view. She has a huge heart and it’s available to everyone and I think it’s a unique gift.”
Dobler and the Trojans take to the pool starting Wednesday and will conclude on Saturday as Dobler looks to finish her collegiate career back on the podium, hoisting another national championship trophy.