No mileage too far for men's swimming's team captain Volz

As the Princeton Tigers dive into yet another swimming season, the men's team will look to senior Kevin Volz for strong performances in the pool, along with leadership for the team.

Volz, who has been swimming for most of his life, is set to begin his final season at Princeton in the pool, and he is looking to make it "a very memorable one."

There is no doubt that he is more than ready to take on the competition, having swam competitively since age eight. Volz tried many different sports when he was young, and swimming "just worked out the best."

"Living in Florida made it very easy to actively get into swimming when I was young, because the sport is very well participated in there," Volz said.

While living in Florida, Volz swam for a club team and also competed in any open water races which were always plentiful in Florida.

"After testing the different distances in swimming, I really grew to love the longer races and those are the ones I have worked on ever since," Volz said.

Talking about distance races, Volz participates in the 500-meter, 1000-meter and mile-long races in the pool. The mile is the longest race contested in the pool, however, that has not stopped Volz from venturing to race distances far beyond a mile.

Taking advantage of Florida's climate and the many areas to swim, Volz has swam open water races of up to 12 miles. He has competed in these open water races in popular tourist destinations such as Key West, Tampa Bay and Fort Laurderdale.

Although his swimming days before college were quite enjoyable and rewarding, Volz has experienced the highlights of his swimming career while here at Princeton.

"When looking at colleges, Princeton really appealed to me for both its fine academic reputation as well as the extraordinary reputation of the swim team here," Volz said.

He then added: "I knew that coming to Princeton would allow me to truly develop into the best swimmer possible, and that during my four years here I would have the experience of a lifetime."

When asked if his predictions for his years here at Princeton have come true, Volz responded, "The entire Princeton experience has been absolutely tremendous. I could not even imagine a more perfect college experience than the one I have been able to enjoy here at Princeton."

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Swimming has been a primary reason for Volz's wonderful college experience, and the reason he has been able to enjoy his swimming career so much has a lot to do with his teammates and coaches.

"One thing which I love about the college program here is the fact that it is so team orientated," Volz said. "Everyone on the team looks after everyone else, and the atmosphere is really like that of one huge family.

"The coaching staff is also wonderful here," Volz added. "Coach is one of the most hilarious guys I've ever met, and I can look to both of my coaches as fathers."

While at Princeton, Volz has definitely had his share of great personal accomplishments and has always contributed to the team as a whole in big ways. During his sophomore year, Volz swam his way into the Princeton history books when he broke the team record for the 1000 meters, the individual accomplishment that he is most proud of.

However, he is very modest in talking about himself, and when asked what his personal goals for this year are he simply said, "to swim as fast as I can and to make strong contributions to the team."

Looking at the team's past success, it appears as though they have a very good chance at winning yet another league title this year. "We should do really well this year," Volz said. "Fortunately we have only lost a handful of key guys, and we have brought in many great freshmen who look to make major contributions to the team. There is definitely a very bright future ahead."

With seniors like Kevin Volz leading the way for the Tigers this season, there is no doubt that yes, there most definitely is a shining future ahead for the Princeton men's swimming team.

Asked if he would continue to swim beyond college, Volz said, "I will always swim in some fashion throughout life because I have such a great love for the sport. However now is when it really matters, so I am going to put all my effort on this season right now."