Swimmers are amphibious creatures. It’s often joked on pool decks, when a swimmer twists their ankle or bruises their thigh, that they should’ve just stayed in the water to avoid injury in the first place. One need only look at fish and ducks to see that dexterity in the water doesn’t often equate to coordination on land.
This aquatic nature and comfort is perhaps why a relatively limited number of swimmers compete at any significant level as compared to other sports (football and baseball players, for example, are frequently interchangeable). Even without this frequent land-based clumsiness, the amount of time it takes to become an elite swimmer often prevents athletes from focusing any significant efforts on other sports.
Yet Stevens Institute of Technology’s Laura Barito belied this stereotype when she won the 400 meter hurdles title at the Division III National Championships. This made Barito the first Stevens All-American in track, and only their second individual National Champion in any sport. The first? Well, that was Barito also, when she won the women’s 50 free in March at the D-III Swimming Championships.
Barito’s winning time in the 50 free was 22.87, which was less than two tenths off of the National Record. Her 59.49 in winning the women’s 400m hurdles made her the only runner in the nation this year to break the 1-minute barrier, and gave her a sizable win.
It would be selling Barito short to call her only a dual threat, however. She has also achieved a 3.84 GPA as a mechanical engineering major. There is perhaps no better candidate for an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, which she received to the tune of $7,500 dollars earlier this month.
History of Amphibians
Barito, while maybe the highest-achieving, is certainly not the first to compete successfully in the NCAA in multiple sports.
The great Dara Torres amassed an incredible 28 All-American honors while swimming at the University of Florida: the maximum possible number one can earn. Seemingly unsatisfied with being one of the most dominant swimmers in college history, in 1989 Torres used her 6-foot-plus frame to help the Florida volleyball team. She was never as huge of a contributor to the Gators’ volleyball program as she was to its swimming program, she did participate in 12 matches in 1989, where she attained an impressive .500 hitting percentage (albeit in a limited 4 kills in 8 attacks).
Torres, who is a once-in-a-generation physical specimen, probably could have been an elite volleyball player had she tried. But even in the 1980’s (before a time where ultra-specialization was a necessity for young athletes), one of the best athletes our sport has ever seen was unable to perform at a high-level in both sports.
Fast forward a few years to Maureen McLaren of Stanford, who is the NCAA Record Holder with 6 team titles (a record that is unlikely to ever be broken). She won 4 team titles with the Stanford swim team, and two with their volleyball team. That means that in two season (1992-1993 and 1994-1995), she won team national titles in two different sports. McLaren was a three-time NCAA All-American, and though she was never quite that good for the volleyball program, she was a significant contributor to their 1994 title. During the 92-93 season, she didn’t participate in the final of either team title, but by the 94-95 season, she was definitely worthy of the dual-championship honor.
But team titles and individual excellence are different animals. To be good in team competition, there are a lot of other factors that can help prod an athlete to glory besides total personal dedication. Gwen Jorgensen from Wisconsin was a two-sport participant, and never reached the NCAA Championships as a swimmer, but after switching her Speedo for some Nikes after two years, she became a world-class distance runner on the track.
Last year, Julie Stupp made history when she qualified for the NCAA Track & Field West Regional preliminary in the 800m run (unlike swimming, track has an additional round between the conference championships and the NCAA Championships). Stupp was an All-American in the first 3 years of her swimming career at Auburn, and after transferring to Arizona for the 2008-2009 season, she broke the Arizona 400 IM school record with her 5th-place finish at the 2009 National Championships (4:02.99). The following year, she took advantage of an NCAA rule that allows a 5th year of eligibility for an athlete who changes sports and joined the Arizona track team, which like their swim team is one of the best in the country. As the 48th and final qualifier for the NCAA West Regional, she officially became an NCAA Championship participant in two different sports.
She finished 32nd in the 800 at the West Regional, and thus didn’t qualify for the NCAA’s final site
But, albeit on the Division III level, there are few (if any) who have replicated Barito’s success in two different individual sports, and for that she should be commended.