Coming into this past weekend's NCAA Div. III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Johann Schmidt had already proven his talent to the diving world. He had won four NESCAC titles in four tries, and as a freshman he placed sixth and 12th in his two events at Nationals. Now, though, the sophomore is more than just king of his conference, and more than just an All-American.
Johann Schmidt is a national champion.
No member of the Tufts men's swimming and diving program has been able to say that since 1982, when Keith Miller (LA '82) won the three-meter dive and Jim Lilley (LA '82) took home the Div. III title in the 100-meter butterfly.
Schmidt's teammates knew he was capable of making history.
"He definitely has the potential to win," said senior co-captain Owen Rood, the lone member of the men's team to join Schmidt at Nationals, before the meet last week.
Sure enough, Rood's premonition was legitimate, as Schmidt posted the highest preliminary score in the one-meter on Friday morning before recording the first-place total of 527.35 points later that evening.
In his other event, the three-meter dive, Schmidt placed fifth to earn the third All-American honor of his young career. He had his best showing last year in the three-meter, and he made an incredible improvement from his 2011 effort in the one-meter event. Schmidt's past experience on the national stage proved invaluable.
"Last year, I placed sixth on three-meter and 12th on one-meter," Schmidt said. "Having last year's experience is extremely beneficial in terms of confidence, expectations of the competition, and how to stay healthy and energized throughout the week."
Schmidt's mindset may have been as crucial to his victory as his physical improvement.
"The key to my success was having fun and diving with passion," he said. "When I put too much pressure on myself I do not do well. I have learned a lot about confidence and motivation this season, and I want to thank my coaches for pushing me past my limits and fulfilling my potential. Also, I want to thank my teammates who are always there for me and help every day during practices and meets."
While Schmidt stole the show, Rood finished his outstanding collegiate career by competing in three events. His most notable performance came on Saturday, when he earned his 10th honorable mention All-American award as a collegiate athlete for his 16th-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle.
On Wednesday, Rood was snuffed from the 50-yard freestyle finals by just 0.01 seconds, finishing in 17th place with a time of 20.67. But Rood was quick to turn the page, and Friday marked a new milestone in his illustrious career: He swam in a non-freestyle event at the NCAA tournament for the first time. Rood competed in the 100-yard breaststroke, placing 22nd with a time of 57.57 seconds, a 1.25 second improvement on his qualifying time.
The weekend's events were Rood's last as a collegiate swimmer, and he wanted to make sure he soaked in the experience. During training for Nationals with head coach Adam Hoyt, Rood found a balance between hard work and fun.
"Coach has worked with me very closely over the past two weeks, and it has been a really great way to end my career," Rood said. "We have had a lot of time to focus on details and mess around with some fun training. We've swum short and fast; it's been great."
As the only two representatives of the Tufts men's team, Rood and Schmidt mostly concentrated on their individual performances. Still, they combined for 35 points and placed 23rd overall as a team. In the previous two years, the Jumbos finished in the top 20 at nationals, but with only two competitors this year, that streak was bound to come to an end.
Meanwhile, Denison University edged out conference rival Kenyon College to win its second consecutive national team title.
