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The College of Wooster’s women’s swimming and diving program was one of the best in NCAA Div. III in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and Ellen Hunter’s transformation was one major success story during that time. The breaststroke specialist kick-started a run of six consecutive years Wooster had an All-American in the event, and Hunter’s fourth-place time of 1:05.81 in the 100-yard event in 1998 played a part in the Scots logging seven straight top-13 finishes at the national meet.
Hunter improved by leaps and bounds between her sophomore and junior seasons, so much so, that she earned four of her six career All-American certificates at the 1998 Div. III Championships held in St. Louis, Mo.
“The time between Ellen’s sophomore and junior years was very transformational,” said longtime head coach, and current athletic director Keith Beckett. “We decided to be quite bold and instituted a very out of the box approach that I had been exploring in regards to training. Not only did Ellen’s performance standards improve significantly, she became even more supercharged with leadership and motivation.”
Hunter’s first-ever trip to nationals started with a big splash, as the then-junior helped the Scots’ 200 freestyle relay place 14th with a time of 1:42.13. Earlier on the first day of the championships, Hunter, and her Wooster teammates, made waves with a championship-heat qualifying time of 4:03.04 in the 400 medley relay, and in doing so, secured the Scots’ first top-eight relay since the 1991 championships. Wooster settled for eighth-place at 4:05.94.
Hunter’s first individual event at the national meet proved to be her best, as she qualified third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:05.96, and then lowered her still-standing school record to 1:05.81 en route to the fourth-place individual finish. Noteworthy, Hunter became the seventh Wooster great to log a top-five individual finish at the national meet.
The buildup for what was to come started at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships – a meet widely regarded as one of the preeminent in Div. III. There, Hunter won the 100 breaststroke at 1:05.81, and at the time, she was the sixth in program history to win an individual event at the league’s championship.
Hunter’s fourth All-American certificate came in the 200 medley relay (1:53.52), which placed 14th. The following year, that relay’s 1:50.85 was good for a 10th-place showing, and a ninth-place time of 3:59.39 in the 400 medley relay rounded out Hunter’s All-American efforts.
Two things in particular stood out about Wooster during Hunter’s college search – the faith-based nature of the institution and Beckett’s kindness during their initial meeting with the then-head coach.
“Coach Beckett became one of the most influential people in my life,” summed up Hunter. “He knew when I needed space, when I needed a hug and reassuring kind word, and when I needed a kick in the butt. He was a great motivator, and I absolutely loved swimming for him.”
Hunter graduated from Wooster and the communication sciences and disorders major went on to earn a clinical doctoral degree in audiology from the University of Louisville. She’s since settled back in her hometown of St. Marys, Ohio, and for the last 14 years has been in private practice as an audiologist. In 2012, Hunter’s practice received the Best Woman-Owned Business of the Year Award by the Women in Business Organization of Auglaize and Mercer Counties.
Outside of work, Hunter’s heavily invested in the St. Marys community. In 2003, she became an independent consultant for Mary Kay, donating $50,000 in proceeds to local, national, and international charities. More recently, Hunter started “A Gift from the Heart, Food for the Soul,” where she delivers chef-prepared meals to people or families in need with a focus on those undergoing cancer treatments.
Personally, Hunter is married to Aaron Adams, and the couple has two children, William (9) and Henry (5).