SPONSORED BY
ANDREW IVERSON
how they train [PHOTO BY IOWA CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE]
BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
PROGRESSION OF TIMES SCY
2017
2018
2019
2020
100 Free
—
—
52.08
51.72
200 Free
1:59.75
1:53.97
1:55.03
1:48.04
500 Free
5:10.02
4:59.48
4:54.29
4:51.45
1650 Free
17:16.76
16:48.68
16:47.96
16:32.44
“W
hen picking a swimmer to highlight (for the “How They Train” article in Swimming World), it would seem that Billy Cruz would be the logical choice,” offers ICCC coach Joe Plane. “Who wouldn’t want to brag about our five-time national champion, national record holder and coswimmer of the year? “However, there are 400,000+ swimmers in USA Swimming, and very few of them will swim NCAA D-1. While we coaches always value hard work and high expectations, I believe it’s important for the majority of our swimmers to see that there is a place where they can and be successful and fulfill their dreams,” he says. “Andrew Iverson spotted me at a meet in Iowa City. He came over and introduced himself. He had good times for what we are doing here, but he was honest that he wasn’t going to be eligible to swim for a college/university due to his grades in high school. “I told him that if he graduated high school, he would be eligible to swim for us. He would then need to focus on school and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in order to stay eligible. “He was so moved that he would be able to go to college and swim that he nearly had tears in his eyes,” shares Plane. And in two short years, Iverson has made the most of his time as a Triton! The Sioux Falls, S.D. product has embraced— and thrived—at the opportunities he’s found at Iowa Central Community College. In his first season (2019-20), he finished eighth at the NJCAA National Championships in the 500 (4:53.10) and 1650 yard freestyles (16:32.44), and became an immediate team leader in the process.
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FEBRUARY 2021
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
www.NZcordz.com
South Dakota does not sponsor high school swimming. As a result, Iverson, the state’s second-ranked recruit, landed on the Fort Dodge campus, having swum in the South Dakota Long Course Championships. There he finished first in the 400-800-1500 meter freestyles (4:27.76, 9:11.45, 17:03.23) and 400 IM (4:55.61). He also garnered a second in the 200 IM (2:20.74) and third in the 200 breast (2:48.54) and 200 fly (2:22.81). “Andrew is one of the hardest working swimmers I have ever coached,” says Coach Joe Plane. “He is consistently positive and is much harder on himself than I could ever be. Despite competing and training for distance events, it took him some time to adjust to the way we train here. We graduated our best two distance swimmers ever so this allowed him to be a physical and motivational leader this season. “Andrew could be a poster child for competitive resilience. Last year, he began NJCAA nationals with a subpar 1000 free (10.01.52, 15th). After a conversation, he reset, posting a personal best 200 free (1:49.25, 15th—by 1.2 seconds), 500 free (4:53.10, 8th—by 6-tenths) and 1650 free (16:32.44, 8th—by 15 seconds). For this year, he has set higher goals, and it appears he’s going to exceed them.” Iverson has taken full advantage of his ICCC opportunities, notes Plane. “He is on his way to graduating with a 3.0 GPA and has signed on as a scholarship swimmer at St. Cloud University. I’m extremely proud of him and delighted to have been able to help him achieve his dreams,” says Plane.
SAMPLE SETS “We go VO2 max on Tuesdays with color charts, so each swimmer has times to hit based on their individual chart, which was created during a test set. Following is a late fall set that was part of a 5,400-yard practice: 4 Rounds: • 200 (odd rounds free, even rounds choice) VO2 max on 4:00 (chart times followed by actual times in parentheses): free 1:59 (1:58/1:59), fly 2:21 (2:15/2:13) • 150 free VO2 max on 3:00: 1:28.5 (1:29s) • 100 (odd rounds free, even rounds choice) VO2 max on 2:00: free 57.7 (59s), fly 1:08.6 (1:05s) • 50 (odd rounds free, even rounds choice) VO2 max on 1:30: free 26.7 (27s), fly 31.7 (29s) • 100 EZ on 2:00 “Andrew is a very aerobic swimmer, so the short purple times are more challenging for him, “ says Plane. v TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A MORE DISTANCE-ORIENTED WORKOUT FOR ANDREW IVERSON. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
