Paul Reischmann ’19 is a mean, lean, swimming machine. His large, rough hands and firm handshake are an ode to his innate athleticism, dedication and hard work. But he cannot be considered a Mozart of swimming. Having only started at age 12, Reischmann could be considered a late bloomer in the sport in which he has come to dominate. Reischmann took this year’s MIAC crown for the Men’s mile race, which even with Reischmann’s time is a grueling 16-minute race, shattering the old Macalester record set by Adam Burke in 1992. The result was unexpected, as it was a lifetime best by about 20 seconds. Reischmann said that he had high expectations entering the race, but didn’t think he could possibly have accomplished what he did.

The best moment was when he arrived at the wall and was the only one to have finished. The second place finisher was eight seconds back. He gave great credit to his team, saying that “everyone was happy to be there the whole time,” which is hard to do in the long swim season.

Reischmann explained that head swimming coach Beth Whittle trains her athletes to push hard during the season, gain muscle and get in shape to be able to really blow out the gate during conference. According to Reischmann, though, this season was different. Individuals kept breaking personal records at every meet. During Swim and Dive’s annual training trip to Florida, the team really pulled together as a unit, particularly the first years, which helped the rest of the season go smoother. Reischmann emphasized how young the team is. There’s a total of only six upperclassmen, and he credited the first years’ energy and enthusiasm.

Reischmann wasn’t the only Scot who had success at the MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships. In the men’s category, as Taylor Durbin ’19 advanced to the final bout in the 200-yard backstroke, the 400-yard freestyle relay team placed seventh and many others swam for personal bests. For the women’s Swim and Dive team, senior Smaranda Georgescu set a school record in the 100-meter freestyle that placed her 10th in the finals and first year Ariel Roghair made it to the finals for the 200-yard backstroke.