Swimmer Brings Home NCAA Trophy for the 200 Butterfly
Junior Is Third National Champ in Oberlin's History

by Jeff Miller

Dick Michaels, head coach, and Clara Stemwedel, assistant coach, flank John Limouze and his new trophy.

John Limouze '00 became Oberlin's third national champion in swimming and diving at the men's NCAA Division III championships, held in March at Emory University. He won his title in the 200-yard butterfly. Limouze, from Wyoming, Ohio, earned 20 points for the victory, giving Oberlin a 32nd- place finish in the team standings.

"Winning the 200 butterfly this year was great, because I thought it was an especially deep field," Limouze said after his victory. "There were about seven guys who I thought were fast enough to win it, and none was obviously better than the others."

Limouze turned in a school-record time of 1:50.47, touching just ahead of Hartwick College's Jason Faulconer, who finished in second place with a time of 1:50.58.

"John won the title this year by an eyelash, but he lost the championship last year by the same margin," said Dick Michaels, head coach of the men's and women's swimming teams. "He trained hard all season, and it was certainly worth it in the end."

Limouze becomes the third Oberlin swimmer or diver to become an NCAA champion. Sean Fri '88 won the 1-meter diving competition in 1988, and Mike Heithaus '95 was a three-time NCAA champion in the 400-yard individual medley from 1993 through 1995.