Where Are They Now ... With Aaron Greene
June 05, 2020 | Swimming & Diving
UofL's backstroking engineer is now in residency for prosthetics and orthotics
Watch the episode here!!
Louisville, Ky – In the ninth episode of Where Are They Now, swimming and diving assistant coach Kameron Chastain catches up with 2017 graduate and Cardinal Forever Aaron Greene about balancing academics and athletics.
Â
"I wouldn't have ended up at UofL if it weren't for swimming. I wouldn't have even known what it had to offer if it weren't for the recruiting process," Greene said of his recruiting process.
Â
Aaron's recruiting story is a little different than others in the program. He said he first met Arthur (Albiero) on the first day his recruiting window opened at an Olympic Trials event in 2012 in a happenstance meeting. A few months later he decided to take a second visit to UofL as he was trying to make a final decision. Greene said he had heard great things about the program and the coaching staff was really nice during his recruitment.
"So I came to Louisville and I fell in love with Louisville," he said of his decision to go on another visit to UofL, "I just knew coming home from that trip, I was coming to UofL."
Â
Academically, Aaron was awarded the prestigious Brown Fellow award as a freshman for leadership and academic success. In addition to swimming, the he said the award meant the world to him. Greene was a mechanical engineering major in a five-year master's program. The program is designed to achieve a four-year bachelor's degree, working in a co-op or taking classes in the summer, with a fifth year of classes to achieve a master's degree. Coming in from high school, Greene knew he wanted to work with prosthetics and orthotics, although he originally wanted to work with the research and development/ manufacturing side but ultimately, he found more of a passion working with patients.
"I really got so many more experiences than I ever would have thought possible," he said of his time in general at Louisville.
Â
On the team, Aaron saw instant success, reaching the NCAA meet as an individual as a freshman. He progressed and felt himself getting better all four years and was successful enough to swim at the NCAA meet all four years he was on the team.
"The team was very supportive. You're always rooting for teammate to get better and there was always good competition," Greene said of the atmosphere on the team. "We didn't doubt anybody, we held everybody accountable and everyone stepped up to the challenge. In his four years, the team ranked 11th, 13th, 11th and 11th in the country, helping to start the trend of being the best in the nation.
Â
Today, Aaron is a resident at Hangar Clinic, a prosthetics and orthotics clinic that sees patients who are missing limbs and need prosthetics or custom bracing to help people move around in daily life more normally. His patients range from those who want to get back into running and sports to people who want to ensure they can move around their home without tripping.
Â
Looking back on his time at UofL, his favorite memory from the team was his junior year ACC meet. He said everyone really pulled together and the group had a great vibe. Academically, his most memorable day was the day he realized he wanted to work in the clinical side rather than the manufacturing side of prosthetics.
Greene said "Academically, your education is what you make of it. The swim team is your family. No matter what happens on campus, you have people to fall back on. You have people to push you, in and out of the pool, and you're really not going to experience that your whole life. Really take advantage of that, soak it all in and enjoy it," as his advice to the current team.
Â
Louisville, Ky – In the ninth episode of Where Are They Now, swimming and diving assistant coach Kameron Chastain catches up with 2017 graduate and Cardinal Forever Aaron Greene about balancing academics and athletics.
Â
"I wouldn't have ended up at UofL if it weren't for swimming. I wouldn't have even known what it had to offer if it weren't for the recruiting process," Greene said of his recruiting process.
Â
Aaron's recruiting story is a little different than others in the program. He said he first met Arthur (Albiero) on the first day his recruiting window opened at an Olympic Trials event in 2012 in a happenstance meeting. A few months later he decided to take a second visit to UofL as he was trying to make a final decision. Greene said he had heard great things about the program and the coaching staff was really nice during his recruitment.
"So I came to Louisville and I fell in love with Louisville," he said of his decision to go on another visit to UofL, "I just knew coming home from that trip, I was coming to UofL."
Â
Academically, Aaron was awarded the prestigious Brown Fellow award as a freshman for leadership and academic success. In addition to swimming, the he said the award meant the world to him. Greene was a mechanical engineering major in a five-year master's program. The program is designed to achieve a four-year bachelor's degree, working in a co-op or taking classes in the summer, with a fifth year of classes to achieve a master's degree. Coming in from high school, Greene knew he wanted to work with prosthetics and orthotics, although he originally wanted to work with the research and development/ manufacturing side but ultimately, he found more of a passion working with patients.
"I really got so many more experiences than I ever would have thought possible," he said of his time in general at Louisville.
Â
On the team, Aaron saw instant success, reaching the NCAA meet as an individual as a freshman. He progressed and felt himself getting better all four years and was successful enough to swim at the NCAA meet all four years he was on the team.
"The team was very supportive. You're always rooting for teammate to get better and there was always good competition," Greene said of the atmosphere on the team. "We didn't doubt anybody, we held everybody accountable and everyone stepped up to the challenge. In his four years, the team ranked 11th, 13th, 11th and 11th in the country, helping to start the trend of being the best in the nation.
Â
Today, Aaron is a resident at Hangar Clinic, a prosthetics and orthotics clinic that sees patients who are missing limbs and need prosthetics or custom bracing to help people move around in daily life more normally. His patients range from those who want to get back into running and sports to people who want to ensure they can move around their home without tripping.
Â
Looking back on his time at UofL, his favorite memory from the team was his junior year ACC meet. He said everyone really pulled together and the group had a great vibe. Academically, his most memorable day was the day he realized he wanted to work in the clinical side rather than the manufacturing side of prosthetics.
Greene said "Academically, your education is what you make of it. The swim team is your family. No matter what happens on campus, you have people to fall back on. You have people to push you, in and out of the pool, and you're really not going to experience that your whole life. Really take advantage of that, soak it all in and enjoy it," as his advice to the current team.
Â
Players Mentioned
Backstroke
/ Swimming & DivingArthur Albiero Swim & Dive Press Conference 02.12.25
Friday, May 16
NCAA Diving Zones - Zone C Day 3
Saturday, March 16
NCAA Diving Zones - Zone C Day 2
Friday, March 15
NCAA Diving Zones - Zone C Day 1
Thursday, March 14
