2023-24 (Freshman)
- B finalist in 200 fly finishing 12th in 200 fly at ECAC Championship
- Sixth place with 400 medley relay "C" team, seventh place in 100 and 200 fly and eighth place in 200 IM at Nebraska (2/2-3)
- Fifth place in 100 fly and sixth place in 200 fly and with 200 medley relay "D" team vs. Villanova (1/20)
- Sixth place in B final of 200 play, fourth place in C Final of 100 fly and sixth place in C Final of 200 IM at Hawkeye Invitational (11/30-12/2)
- Fifth place in 200 fly, seventh place with 200 medley relay "D" team and eighth place in 100 fly at Princeton (11/11)
- Fourth place in 200 fly and seventh place in 100 fly vs. Purdue & Oakland (11/3-4)
- Won 100 fly and runner-up in 100 breast and with 200 medley relay "B" team vs. LIU (10/28)
- Fourth place in 100 fly and with 200 free relay "C" team, fifth place in 100 fly and sixth place with 200 medley relay "C" team vs. Toronto (10/27)
Prior To Rutgers:
- Part of India’s talent development programs - Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and Khelo India Talent (KIT).
- Recipient of seven international and 88 national medals.
- Indian record holder in five events
- Received Sports India Award 2022-23 by Sports Champ
- Qualified for finals in 200m fly at 2022 FINA World Swimming Junior Championship marking first time an Indian woman qualified for finals at a junior world championship
- Junior National Aquatic Individual Champion in 2019, 2021 and 2022
- Won 18 Gold and 6 Silver medals in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Khelo India Youth Games 2019, 2020, 2021and 2022
- Individual Champion at 2021 Senior National Aquatic Championship
- Set record in 200m short course breast record 2019 South Asian Games
Personal:
- Daughter of Baylon and Shalet
- Has one brother, Dayle
- Plans to major in biotechnology
FERNANDEZ ON CHOOSING RUTGERS: “I chose Rutgers for its renowned biotechnology program, diverse student population and the swim team.”
Know Your Knights
One word to describe your Coach: dedicated
Best player ever competed against: Lydia Jacoby
Major: Biotechnology
I chose my major because: I've always been fascinated by biology and research at the microbial level
The person I most admire is and why: My grandparents for their resilience and my late dog, Noodle, for his fierce loyalty
If I wasn’t swimming, I’d be: an engineer
Favorite professional athlete: Roger Federer
One word to describe myself in the pool: focused
One word to describe myself out of the pool: wanderlust
Few people know that I: love grocery shopping
Person who had greatest influence on my athletics career: My parents
I started playing my sport because…: I joined a summer camp to splash around in the water
I chose Rutgers because…: Renowned biotechnology program and swim team, diverse student population
Favorite cereal: rice
The movie I have watched the most in my lifetime is: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2
The best actor/actress to play me in a movie is…: Andy Samberg
Favorite musician/group: The Weeknd
The first song I knew all the words to is: the alphabet song
If I could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, I would win a gold medal at: reading
Famous people I have met include: Sarah Sjöström
Rituals I have before, during or after a game are: prayers and meditation
Favorite all-time gift received: a book series I had on my wish-list
Pets I had growing up were: Noodle (a brown dachshund), Pepper and Flip-Flop (black and ochre Indie dogs), Emerald and Mittu (birds)
The place in the world I would most like to visit is: Norway to witness the aurora borealis
My favorite teacher was/is: Rupali Mandrekar. She was my class teacher in grade 4
The quote that most resonates with me is: If it is meant to be, it will find a way
If my life was a book, the title would be: The Sleep-Life Balance
If I could choose any color when buying a new car it would be: deep purple
My spirit animal is: owl
One thing on my bucket list is: explore the coral reefs
Phone app you cannot live without: Google
