University of Tennessee Athletics
Newcomers Looking to Contribute to UT Swimming's Winning Tradition
February 18, 2003 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 18, 2003
Raymond Rosal's nerves were a little on edge when he stepped onto the block, ready to begin the third leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay. Everything was going through his head. He knew he couldn't make a mistake. He knew if the Tennessee Volunteers were to pull off the stunning comeback against Virginia, the relay team would need a flawless performance.
"I was very nervous," he said. "We couldn't do anything wrong. We had to win."
They did. Tennessee's combination of Renato Geuraldi, Tyler Gustafson, Rosal and Greg Simpson raced to a time of 3:02.74 to win the 400m free relay. The victory, combined with a third-place finish by Tennessee's B team, capped a thrilling come-from-behind upset over then-No. 9 Virginia, 126-117 on Jan. 14.
Tennessee had trailed by 21 points with three events to go and the day looked rather gloomy for the Volunteers despite a clear sky outside the UT Student Aquatics Center. But after the Tennessee divers swept the 3-meter, won by Phillip Jones' 410.02 points, things suddenly looked a little brighter. And after the 200m breaststroke, the meet was tied at 113 with only the 400m free relay remaining.
That's when Rosal felt the pressure. He is a transfer from Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Fla., and was competing in his first meet at Tennessee. He could feel the weight of his teammates' eyes riding along with him as he swam his leg of the 400m free. He didn't want to let his new teammates down.
"There was a little pressure because I am the new guy and I just got here," the junior said.
Rosal brings an impressive resume to Tennessee as a freestyle swimmer. He's a six-time gold medallist in the Center American Games and has won three junior national championships. While at Indian River, Rosal finished second in the 50m free at the 2002 JUCO National Championships and his team won the overall title.
Still, after the excellent standard he has set for himself, he says the tradition at Tennessee is unparalleled. There are the coonskin caps. There is the tradition of pouring water into an opponent's pool. And there's running through the "T" before home meets. It all gets Rosal fired up.
"It's exciting to run through the 'T' and all the traditions we have," Rosal said. "I have never seen anything like that at a school."
Freshman Paul Eder echoed Rosal's comments.
"What I saw today was amazing," said Eder after the Virginia meet. "Not because we won, but because the team came together."
Eder arrived on campus Dec. 27 from his home in Vienna, Austria. He also competes in the freestyle and is a four-time Austrian Youth Champion. He placed 10th at the 2002 World Military Games and was a qualifier for the European Youth Olympic Games. But his experiences as a swimmer in Austria are slightly different from his brief time at Tennessee.
"Swimming is a totally different world," he said from the pool deck in the Aquatics Center. "Back home, we swam on our own and we swam for ourselves. We didn't swim for a coach or any team members. Here, we swim for UT. There is nothing like it."
Freshman Lubrey Lim knows there's nothing like it ... nothing like the Southern accent, that is. Lim is from Port Dickson, Malaysia and recently spent a semester in New York. But after learning the English language once, he's been forced to learn the lingo again with that special Southern twang.
"It was hard in the beginning because I had to learn English all over again," he said with a smile. "Then I came down here and with the Southern accent, it starts over again."
Lim competes in the freestyle and butterfly for the Vols. But prior to his journey to Knoxville, he got his feet wet in some worldwide competition. At the Malaysian Games, he won two gold medals. He was a qualifier for the 2002 Asian Games and represented Malaysia in the 2001 World Championships.
Rosal, Eder and Lim all have impressive histories in the pool, but Tennessee coach John Trembley knows the trio is a bit rusty and each will need some time before immediate results can be seen. Still, there's also some excitement in his voice when talking about the junior and two freshmen.
"They're learning a lot," he said. "Eder is very talented and very big, but weak in the water. He's technically behind the curve. But he's going to be very, very good. Lubrey Lim, same thing. He's a transfer here from a small school and he is learning by the day.
"Rosal, on the other hand, is a JUCO national champion. He's a great sprinter. He came in a little heavy and he needs to drop a little weight and get fit. But he swam a great relay leg (against Virginia)."
Lim arrived on the University of Tennessee campus in the fall semester and that has given him some time to adjust to college and East Tennessee. But since Eder has been in town for only a couple of months, he says he's not adjusted completely to his new home.
"Not yet," he admitted, "but I'm trying to.
"I realize that you change when you talk another language because you cannot express your feelings. You can joke, but you cannot understand some jokes. But I think I will learn it."
Lim mentioned jokes as well when it came to meshing with the others. "When I first got here, it was hard," he said. "I don't understand what people joke about."
Lim and Eder may have trouble understanding some of the jokes their teammates carry on with, but they also understand how tight this year's group has become. The two international freshmen, along with Rosal, have been welcomed with open arms. And it's that camaraderie that has made life at a new college, in a new city and even in a new country that much easier to deal with.
"I don't think anyone else becomes friends instantly when you come to college like you do with the swim team," Lim said. "That's the way we are."
Josh Pate
Players Mentioned
