PHOTO PROVIDED Jersey Shore’s Reese Charney signed her letter of intent to swim at Clarion. Seated with Charney (center) are her parents Leah and Dave.

JERSEY SHORE — While many youth athletes dream of competing at the college level, only a few are able to make that dream a reality.

Reese Charney, a senior at Jersey Shore, started swimming competitively at the age of seven and her dedication to the sport has only grown over the years. She saw her hard work pay off when she signed her letter of intent recently to further her swimming career at Clarion University.

Charney chose Clarion University because of the program’s impressive swimming facilities, coaches, close-knit team and small campus size. Clarion University has one of the top Division II swimming programs in the state and the women’s team is currently ranked No. 2 in the PSAC.

Charney is not only an athlete, but also an exceptional student who is a member of five National Honor Societies and carries a 4.0 GPA. While at Clarion, she will complete her bachelor’s degree in pre-medical science and then continue her education with an additional four years at optometry school.

During her swimming career, Charney has qualified for the state championship meet all three years of high school heading into her senior season, medaling in the 50 free her junior year. She took eighth at states last year.

With her senior season still ahead of her, Charney has high aspirations for the end of her high school swim career. Her season goals include placing in the top four at states and setting school records in both the 50 free and100 back. She also hopes to compete on a state relay team with her younger sister Brooke.