Top-ranked Yeofish take their acts on the road

On the second weekend in March, one student and two coaches made a journey north to Minnesota. One week later, the same coaches and a different student, along with several teammates, trekked down to southwestern Ohio. They weren't getting a jump on Spring Break, nor, with the controversy still looming a month away, were they avoiding the dean search debacle. Instead, sophomore John Limouze and first-year Celeste Mercer, accompanied by coaches and friends, were off to the 1999 Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.

For his part, Limouze competed in the 200yd butterfly and turned in yet another outstanding performance. His time of 1:50.75 was good enough for third in the nation, just 0.29 seconds off the winning time recorded by Eric Sweeny of Misericordia College. All things considered, it was a remarkable afternoon for Limouze, who finished fifth in the same event at last year's championships.

"I was happy," Limouze said, in what could be the understatement of the year. "I felt I swam about as good a race as I was going to." Sure enough, his performance at nationals bested his personal record by over half a second.

"It's tough to lose a close race especially when your goal coming in is to win," Limouze said. "The walls [in the pool] were deceptively close, so I jammed a couple of turns, but I think everyone had the same difficulty."

Mercer had a rougher time at her meet at Miami University of Ohio. Going into the championships, she was ranked second in the nation in the 200yd backstroke. Unfortunately, her performance at the meet was not an accurate reflection of her talent or ability.

"I swam the kind of times I was swimming when I was beat-up mid-season," said Mercer who finished 22nd in the backstroke and lower in two other events. "It's definitely making me look forward to next year." Certainly, her performance was hardly a fitting end to this glorious year in which she broke several school records and was ranked first in the nation in the 200yd backstroke for over two months.

Even so, Mercer didn't let her disappointing finish dampen the experience of a trip to a national competition. "I swam year-round every year since I was six years old, and this was the first time this was a national meet, so that was kinda cool," she said. "It was definitely nice to go, see the other competitors and kind of get an idea of what [nationals] are all about."

Mercer chalked up the drop in performance to a combination of conditioning problems and unfamiliarity with her new coach. "I wasn't there physically," she said. "And with a new coach, it always takes time for you to adjust to the specific training routine and for him to adjust to you."

Limouze pointed out that the first time at a national event is going to affect anyone. "In high school, you grow up with the people you're playing against," he said. "Here, you're swimming against many different people and it's easy to get nervous." Limouze noted that a bad start in a big meet can also leave you feeling lost. "But," he added, "these are mistakes that will be corrected with time."

Both swimmers were standouts in their events in high school. Mercer swam her way to the Colorado State Championships all four years, while Limouze participated in the Ohio State Championships his junior and senior years. He also placed seventh in the 200yd butterfly at the YMCA Nationals his senior year.

"I'm looking forward to next year," Limouze said. "It's going to be a tough meet as always, but I'm pretty confident I have the speed to win." Considering that both swimmers who finished ahead of Limouze are seniors and that Mercer's first-year adjustments are safely behind her, it would seem that next year will be a very successful one for them both. "In the meantime," Limouze said, "I'm just working on staying in shape and just having fun."

Mercer, Limouze: Swimming pretty at nationals. (photo courtesy S.I.C.)