How Jassen Yep Went from Walk-On to National Champion

When Jassen Yap touched the wall 1st in the 200 breastroke at the 2025 NCAA National Championships, a shockwave ran through the pool deck.

Jassen Yep?
The walk-on?
The guy who wasn’t recruited, who had no scholarship offers, who barely made the team?

Yes, that Jassen Yep.

In one of the most unbelievable moments in recent swimming history, Jassen captured the national title in the 200 breaststroke—and became the third-fastest performer ever in the event.

Olympians. American record holders. National champions.
He beat them all.

And he didn’t just win—he dominated with a lifetime-best swim that stunned everyone who thought they already knew how the race would unfold.

Naturally, after the race, everyone was asking the same thing:

"How did he do it?"

Was it a lucky swim?
Did he finally tap into some hidden talent?
Was there a secret no one else knew?

The truth is way more powerful—and way more relatable—than you might expect.

Jassen didn’t rely on a magic moment.
He built his success the hard way—slowly, steadily, quietly—long before the spotlight ever found him.

Here’s the real secret behind Jassen Yap’s incredible rise:

💡The Mindset Behind The Miracle

You might be wondering: How does someone like Jassen Yap go from overlooked walk-on to national champion?

It wasn’t magic. It wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck.

It was mindset, work ethic, and unshakable belief—day after day, year after year.

Here’s the real truth: Jassen wasn’t the most naturally gifted swimmer on the team. He didn’t show up on campus winning races or dropping crazy times.

What set Jassen apart was the way he approached every single practice.

Every hard set, he leaned in.
Where others would roll their eyes or complain about the workload, Jassen embraced it.
He didn’t view hard practices as something to survive—he saw them as opportunities to get better.

I remember watching him during some of our toughest sets:

• He kept his head down.

• He never complained.

That attitude became his superpower.

Because here’s the thing about elite swimming (and life):
Everyone gets tired. Everyone faces doubts. Everyone hits plateaus.
The ones who break through aren’t the ones with the most talent—they’re the ones who master their mind.

Jassen’s secret weapon wasn’t that he had better lungs or a stronger kick.
It was that he made a daily choice: Show up. Smile. Grind. Believe.

And over time, that choice stacked up into something extraordinary.

🎁 3 Key Takeaways

✅ Mindset matters more than talent.
Jassen didn’t have the biggest name or the fastest times starting out—but he had the best attitude, and that carried him further than anyone expected.

✅ Consistency wins.
Showing up every day, giving your best effort (especially when you don’t feel like it), is what leads to real breakthroughs.

✅ Believe when no one else does.
Even if others doubt you—or you doubt yourself sometimes—keep believing. You never know when your Jassen moment is coming.

👋 Until Next Time

Thanks for reading and being part of this journey with me.
I hope Jassen’s story fired you up as much as it fired me up.

Remember—your big moment might be closer than you think.
Keep showing up. Keep believing. Keep chasing it.

I’ll see you all next week!
– Cody

Until my next newsletter, I will see you all - later