When junior swimmer Elyse McDonough arrived at Syracuse as a freshman, breaking records was the last thing on her mind.

Fast forward a year and a half.

With more experience and three school records to her name, McDonough was on the verge last season of qualifying for the NCAA Championship meet. She knew she swam fast — maybe the fastest she had ever swam in college. She waited nervously for the top 30 times to be chosen.

When the NCAA qualifiers were announced, McDonough was not among them. She missed the mark by fractions of a second.

‘It’s always been a goal of mine, but freshman year, it was just out of my head.’ McDonough said. ‘Sophomore year I made the ‘B’ cut, and it kind of got me thinking. By the end of the year, I really wanted it. I had my hopes up like I was going to make, but I didn’t. It was a letdown.’

McDonough, 20, is back this year as one of the top swimmers at Syracuse, which hosts Colgate tomorrow.

She hopes to improve her times, qualify for the Big East Championship meet and, of course, qualify for NCAAs. In SU’s season opener, Oct. 12 at St. Bonaventure, McDonough won the 200 individual medley and the 200 butterfly.

McDonough broke the 22-year-old, 200-meter butterfly record as a freshman. In her sophomore season, McDonough broke two school records, the 200 individual medley and the 400 individual medley, which combines all four major strokes in one long-distance race.

‘Elyse is motivated and excited about the sport,’ SU head swimming coach Lou Walker said. ‘She understands what you have to do to achieve success.’

‘She’s really fast,’ freshman Kristi Westrich said. ‘She’s an inspiration to us all in the pool because if you even watch her practice, she’s such a hard worker. She gives the boys a run for their money.’

Growing up in Delmar, a suburb of Albany, McDonough began swimming competitively at age 9. She first stood out among her peers at a local pool, and a year later won the high-point award there.

She’s won more awards since.

‘It was my wife who got her into swimming,’ said Michael McDonough, Elyse’s father. ‘The kids needed something to do.’

‘I was hyperactive as a kid,’ said McDonough, who also participated in track and softball. ‘Finally, my high school coach said, ‘You have to choose.’ And I chose swimming.’

McDonough may seem calm and collected in her collegiate meets, but that wasn’t always the case.

In high school, she’d become so nervous that she’d throw up while on the starting blocks.

‘That was a major problem for her in high school,’ Michael McDonough said. ‘She’d be so nervous that she’d make herself sick.’

The decision to come to Syracuse, though, was easier.

‘There was no way I was going far away from home,’ McDonough said. ‘This was my first choice overall, and everything sort of worked itself out in the long run.’

As a swimmer at Bethlehem Central High School, McDonough was recruited heavily by a number of schools, including Rutgers, Villanova and Syracuse.

Her teammates are glad she chose the latter.

‘She’s made us all feel comfortable right off the bat,’ Westrich said. ‘She’s seriously the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life.’

Sophomore Sarah Reed said McDonough’s maternal attitude makes her popular. Reed said McDonough decorates everyone’s lockers and takes the swimmers to the movies and the mall.

‘Elyse took all of the freshmen under her wing,’ Reed said. ‘She’s a positive influence and has made an effort to get to know everyone on the team.”

This season, McDonough has much to prove.

And when the NCAA Championship meet occurs March 20, McDonough wants to be there.

‘Elyse is such a hard worker,’ Westrich said. ‘We all think she’s going to make it. We know she’s not going to stop until she’s the best.’

Published on October 17, 2002 at 12:00 pm