After ranking eighth nationally in the 200 breaststroke at the NCAA Swimming Championship last month at Georgia Tech, Alex Evdokimov ’18 became the first All-American swimmer to attend Cornell since 2006.
While he did not beat his own personal record at the NCAA Championship, Evdokimov finished 15th in the 200 breaststroke and 17th in the 100 breaststroke, according to The Ithaca Voice.
Evdokimov swam from age of seven to 11 but stopped until he joined his high school team in Florida, The Voice reported.
He only reached a collegiate swimming level a year later, when he joined a club swim team, according to Wes Newman, head coach of Cornell’s men’s swimming.
“He really came off a big high after all the improvements he had senior year of high school,” Newman said. “When he came in as a freshman, we were really excited to see if he could continue on that momentum.”
Newman added that Evdokimov’s drive and focus enabled him to excel as a swimmer.
“I think all the best swimmers, and probably true of all athletes, have a certain level of focus,” Newman said. “When they put their mind to a certain goal, they are able to accomplish it.”
Ian Russiello ’19, a swimmer on Cornell’s team, agreed, telling The Voice that Evdokimov is extremely focused before important meets.
“He does his own thing, and then when it comes to the big meets like before NCAAs and the Ivys, he would just turn it on and have this super, intense focus,” Russiello said.
After earning his title, Evdokimov will begin training for the Olympic trials at the end of June, The Voice reported.
“I’m already excited for next year to train and to get to this meet again and hopefully do better,” Evdokimov said.