Focused on nothing else but the water in front of him, a determined athlete sits mentally prepared to explode into the pool.

Sophomore sprinter Antoine Connors sits calmly, eliminating all distractions while meticulously going through each individual aspect of the race. The start, the first strokes, the turn, the finish — each aspect of the 20-second race must be executed perfectly for success.

Driven by a passion for swimming, Connors has already made his mark on the Ithaca College program by setting four school records his freshman year. Head Coach Kevin Markwardt said Connors’ desire to contribute to the men’s swimming and diving team has led him to this success.

“He’s the guy you build your lineup around,” Markwardt said. “A lot of the structure of where we fill in is really filled in around where we put Antoine.”

When Connors arrived on campus for the first time last year, he set his sights high, hoping to one day compete in the Olympic trials. For now, he said he is more focused on helping the Bombers build on last year’s second-place finish in the conference.

Connors said he pushes himself hard, even if he isn’t feeling well. Last season, he was set back by multiple injuries and illnesses, hampering his ability to reach his peak level of performance.

“I talked to my team, and I talked to my coach and told them, ‘Guys, I’m sick, I don’t know how well I’ll do, but if you guys want to go after this meet, I will swim,’” Connors said. “‘If I can swim and it’s not going to damage me any more, I will swim.’”

This season, Assistant Coach Mike Ariel is helping Connors train in and out of the pool by carefully piecing together a workout program that’s “short and sweet” — tailored to Connors’ abilities — to prepare for short-distance races. Ariel said he recognizes Connors’ value to the team and how important his health is to the welfare of the entire squad.

“We look for him almost every dual meet to come out and be a top performer,” Ariel said. “He’s also extremely important on our relays. Having someone of his caliber being able to anchor our relays is great. We need someone that can put those times down and hopefully beat out the other competition.”

Freshman Jake Robbins teams up with Connors as the first leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay team, while Connors anchors the squad. Connors said he has developed a strong bond with Robbins because they both compete in the same events.

Connors said having that competition between him and Robbins has helped.

“It’s great to have that pressure behind you every time,” Connors said. “When I jump in the pool, Jake and I are quick enough that oftentimes the guy in between us isn’t quite at our level. When we swim, it’s kind of us looking at each other, so we push each other.”

One of the Bombers’ strengths is the consistency of their relay teams. The 400-yard freestyle relay team is undefeated when Robbins and Connors swim together. Connors said he would like to bring a relay team to nationals before he graduates.

“I’d like to take a relay team to the max,” he said. “Our sprinters are fantastic. If we all work hard, we have a good chance of placing extremely well nationally if we can get there.”

Markwardt said he would like to see Connors expand his repertoire and swim events outside of his comfort zone. Connors said he will do whatever is necessary to help the team.

“Swimming is one of the few sports where you swim as an individual for the team, whereas soccer teams and basketball teams have a great group of guys,” Connors said. “Swimming has that same team aspect, but also has an individual team aspect, which means everybody is out to help everybody else. Because if you can help the individual, you can help the team.”

Hamilton, Hartwick, Ithaca, SUNY Geneseo 2009 - 11/21/2009