Tony Lizauckas
Senior - Men's Swimming

Talk about some of the technical aspects of the stroke you swim – the backstroke.
It’s quite similar to freestyle – except you are obviously on your back. It is a very competitive stroke, as far as times go. It is the second-fastest stroke out of the main four. At UB, we have a rich tradition in the backstroke. We have a handful of swimmers that have won ECAC titles and earned various other accolades.

What types of events can you swim?
There are races at both 100 yards and 200 yards. Also, the backstroke is part of the 200-medley relay and the 400-medley relay. In the 200-medley, each stroke consists of a 50-yard stretch. Meanwhile in the 400-medley, each stroke makes up a 100-yard portion of the race.

Is there a different mindset for each event that you participate in?
For the 100, it is just an all-out sprint. There are three turns and then you are done. On the day of a meet you have to focus on getting a good start. The 200 is more of a controlled sprint and takes a lot more endurance since it’s eight lengths. It is something that requires a bit more strategy, as far as how fast you go out and how fast you come back.

How important is teamwork in the relay events?
The backstroke is the leadoff event of the medley, while the breaststroke goes second. The exchange is so crucial. If the breaststroke swimmer doesn’t know when you finish, the consequences can range from a false start to a very slow start. A slip-up like that can kill your team’s chances to win the relay.

Detail the length of the swimming season, as well as what type of things you do in the off-season.
The length of the season is ridiculously long. It spans 26 weeks, which I think is one of the longest seasons out of any of the collegiate sports we have at UB. All top-level swimmers train year-round, whether it is at their university or with their club team back home. It’s an endurance sport that calls for a high level of commitment.

Discuss the differences in competing in a tournament as opposed to a dual meet.
An invitational consists of a lot more teams. So at an event like that, you usually face some great competition. Earlier this season at the Pittsburgh Invitational, we were up against a pair of top 25 teams – Pittsburgh and Texas A&M. So in that type of event, you look to post times that qualify you for the finals. In a dual meet, there are still a lot of fast times but your focus is on beating the person next to you.

When did you begin to swim in a competitive manner?
I actually started late. In eighth grade, I tried out for the varsity team at my high school team (Kenmore West) and made it. There were a group of five or so around my age on that team, and we collectively got better year-in and year-out. During my junior and senior years, we were undefeated.

At what point did you begin to focus on the backstroke?
That happened right when I started. My high school coach specialized me in that event very early on. I began to swim the backstroke in meets and continued to improve. So at that point, I just stayed with it.

Describe your decision to attend UB.
I was contacted by Coach Termin – we first spoke over the phone. After that, I came for my official visit. Everything I saw here I loved – the pool and the coaching staff in particular. Since I’m a local kid, it was an easy decision to choose UB. The recruiting in swimming is probably a little different than in other sports. It’s basically a cut and dry, black and white-type of thing. It’s based on times – if you have them you are recruited, if you don’t then you are not.

What advice would you give to high school kids now looking to go onto the Division I level?
I would tell them to look specifically at the program at each school. Check out how much the kids on the team have improved since they were freshman. That’s a telltale sign of how good a program is, and certainly here at UB there is great evidence of improvement like that occurring.

-The ’10 Questions with…’ feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.

12/16/2002