The Grand Valley State University Lakers are benefitting from a top notch transfer from the Netherlands. After going to school for a few years in the Netherlands, Leonie Van Noort, has moved over seas to train in the United States.
After weighing her options, she decided to settle in the midwest. She told the campus newspaper that she met GVSU head coach Andy Boyce a few years ago, but didn’t decide to transfer until this past spring. Van Noort is primarily an open water specialist, but she is doing well in the distance freestyle events for Grand Valley. Sven Cardol, a former GVSU swimmer and senior team captain last year, was also from the Netherlands. He persuaded Van Noort to come to GVSU as well.
Despite a rough start in the United States, breaking her toe on the first night, she has been adjusting well and making friends with her teammates.
“In the Netherlands, you have universities and you have swimming separate. Here, it’s just one big thing. It’s very difficult to do swimming and studies at the same time in the Netherlands, and it’s just a lot easier here because everything is together,” she said.
Coach Boyce said that the training environment in America is much different that it is in Europe, which really helps with her transition.
“A lot of international swimmers don’t have that team image in their backgrounds, so when they get here, they have, gosh, 50 or 60 friends all on the team here at Grand Valley, so that makes a big difference,” Boyce said.
In her first meet competing for Grand Valley, the Blue and White Intrasquad meet, Van Noort broke the pool record in the women’s 500 freestyle with a 5:00.18. This weekend will be the first time we see her compete against another team as the laker take on the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
Coach Boyce told the campus paper he is confident in her abilities. We will see how she does throughout the year, but she could be a huge boost for the team as they try to climb the division II national rankings.
“Right away she’s posting times close to our school records already, so that’s an exciting thing to see. The way she practices and the way she’s done this past week, I would say that she would do well at the conference level as well as the national level,” Boyce said.