With a 5-1 start to the season, the men’s swimming and diving team has proved once again to be one of the top teams in the NESCAC. Ranked 17th in the nation by CollegeSwimming.com, the Jeffs are also making noise at the national level. The Jeffs appear to have the ingredients to improve on last year’s 51st place finish. In order to do so, the team will have to be tough mentally and must continue to train hard. With junior Christian Witzke on the roster, the Jeffs’ chances for success are high.
Witzke’s swimming background is one characterized by hard work, determination and the overcoming of adversity. Growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., swimming became an integral part of Witzke’s life at age five. At a young age, the freestyler began training at a very competitive level. Witzke was fortunate enough to train in a very competitive environment, especially in high school, as he attended the Bolles School in Jacksonville. His characterization of the high school’s swim team as “among the best high school programs in the country” is no exaggeration. The swimming team has won the state championship every year since 1984, and in 2005, Sports Illustrated listed the Bolles athletic program as the ninth best in the country. Several Bolles students and alumni have competed at the Olympic level.
At Bolles, Witzke was mainly a distance freestyle swimmer, with his strongest event being the 1,650 freestyle. Competing at such a strong school had obvious benefits for Witzke, as the rigorous training regimen and competition helped him to realize his potential. However, not everything was smooth swimming for Witzke, who had to confront heart problems. “I have had three heart surgeries since my junior year of high school,” said Witzke. “And I am still dealing with the medical problems related to that on a day-to-day basis.”
Despite the adversity, Witzke continued to swim, except when he was medically unable to do so. While many athletes would be frustrated and discouraged by such a situation, Witzke used it as motivation and has been determined to fight through the problems. In fact, his physical endeavors have forced him to become stronger mentally. “This physical problem has forced me to improve the mental aspect of my training,” the junior said. “I am much better at focusing myself and convincing myself that I can swim well even when I am dealing with medical problems.”
Witzke’s medical conditions undoubtedly complicated his transition to the Amherst program, and he continues to have to deal with certain complications. At times, he is unable to practice and has to force himself to compete when he doesn’t feel at full strength.
Although the intense collegiate level training was nothing Witzke could not handle after spending four years at Bolles, the pressures at Amherst have proven to be much greater. In high school, Witzke never had to swim many pressure meets, as his team continually dominated the competition. Even if he had a bad meet, the team would still win. However, as one of the top swimmers at Amherst, Witzke knows his performance is crucial to the team’s success.
“One of the biggest adjustments was learning to swim under pressure when each race matters in a college dual meet,” said Witzke. “Swimming under pressure and the mental aspect of swimming are definitely the areas where I’ve most improved, as I have had my best races in the last couple years in the biggest races and as an anchor on relays.”
Witzke has stepped up throughout his seasons at Amherst. He is the only returning Jeff swimmer to compete at Nationals last season, and he earned NESCAC Swimming and Diving Performer of the Week for his strong performance in the Jeffs’ 193-98 victory over Middlebury College on Dec. 1. Witzke finished first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events. Even in the Jeffs’ loss to Williams College, Witzke turned in a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, and his 47.71 finish in the 100-yard freestyle was nine-tenths of a second behind the first-place Williams finisher. Witzke’s relay team, with first-year Alex Frasier, senior Andrew Maslan and sophomore Tad Homchich finished first in 400-yard freestyle relay.
“My biggest goal, both individually and for this team, is to be a part of relays which qualify for NCAA Championships,” said Witzke.
As the Jeffs continue to train, they hope to be able to qualify for multiple national events by the end of the NESCAC Championships. Witzke wants nothing more than to get another chance to compete at Nationals, as heart problems marred last year’s performance. If Witzke’s history is any indication of the future, he will help the Jeffs to improve on last season’s finish, continuing his trend of excelling both individually and at the team level.