The UNLV swimming team is like family — a big, talkative family from all parts of the world.
Head coach Jim Reitz's best recruiting tool has been the tendency of swimmers to talk amongst themselves during those long breaks at meets.
"The greatest recruiting tool is a former athlete going back home and singing the praises of UNLV swimming," says Reitz, who has served as UNLV's head swim coach since he took over the program in the early 1980s.
Athletes have come to UNLV from as close as California and Arizona to as far away as Hungary, South Africa, and Romania. This year alone, there are 15 athletes from outside the United States, including six from Sweden.
Come One, Come All
In 2004, after learning that two fellow Swedes were coming to UNLV, junior Marina Sandback decided to swim for the Rebels as well. Since then, three other Swedish swimmers have followed.
Sophomores Jonas Andersson and Johan Claar have been friends since they began swimming at Swedish national meets as teens. Claar was on the fence between Georgia Tech and UNLV; when Andersson told him of his intention to become a Rebel, his decision was solidified.
Being 5,000 miles from home isn't easy but Claar says the transition was easier with Andersson as a suitemate and other swimmers from his homeland on the team. "It made a real difference my first year," Claar says. "I didn't know anything, so I could talk to them about what to expect."
Like a Family
Reitz says that international diversity hasn't hindered team unity. "Everybody is the same," he says. "You get wet the same way and put your swimming suit on the same way."
Claar adds, "There is a special bonds a special bond amongst the Swedes, but we try to include everyone, no matter where they are from."
That team unity comes, in part, from the amount of time they spend together. The team practices six days a week, including twice (once in the morning before classes and once in the afternoon) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Practices include not only swimming, but also weightlifting and running.
"Swimming isn't for sane people," Andersson says. "You really have to push your body to the limits. We see each other at our best and at our worst. There is a tremendous amount of emotion that everyone shares."
Sandback learned to swim when she was 7 years old because her parents had a cabin on a lake and wanted to be sure she was able to swim. She is a first-team all-Mountain West Conference (MWC) performer in the 100 butterfly and the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Claar has dreams of not only making the Swedish Olympic Team in 2008 but also opening his own business. He is first-team all-MWC in the freestyle events.
Andersson has always been fascinated by water and says that his parents saved him from drowning more times than he can count because of his propensity to jump in pools, fountains, and ponds at a young age. He is a first-team all-MWC performer in the 200 breaststroke and the 200 medley relay.
In Action: The 2007 NCAA swimming and diving championships will be held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis March 8-10 (women) and March 15-17 (men). Last year, the men's team won its third-straight MWC title and placed 28th at nationals.th at nationals.
