Still-unbeaten swimmer sliding past competition

When Boston University sophomore swimmer Lidija Breznikar first arrived at BU this past fall, she knew exactly what she wanted to do over the course of her career.

‘Breaking some of BU’s records was definitely a goal for me,’ Breznikar said. ‘I came here and saw the record times, and I thought to myself, ‘I want one pool record and one team record.”

Now, only six meets into her first year of competitive collegiate swimming, Breznikar needs to find some new goals. She set the BU record for the 200-yard breaststroke in the second meet of the season, turning in a time of 2:21.27 as the Terriers (2-3-1) tied the University of New Hampshire.

Then, on Nov. 22 in a BU home meet against Stony Brook University, she bested the previous BU record by more than two seconds and set the new pool record with a time of 4:30.35 in the 400-yard individual medley – an impressive feat considering that she usually swims the 200 medley. With Breznikar leading the way, the Terriers routed the Seawolves, 180-119.

Breznikar has also been perfect in her individual races unbeaten in 18 dips in the pool.

‘She has been a tremendous asset for this team,’ said BU coach Reagh Wetmore, who has seen his swimmers tally more than 50 conference records in four different conferences during his time as coach. ‘She swims the three toughest events: the 200 fly, 200 breast and 200 individual medley. The 200 fly is extremely difficult, but you wouldn’t think so watching the way she does it. She’s swam all three and been undefeated for three weeks. That’s quite outstanding.’

Wetmore, whose tenure at BU has produced three Olympians and two All-Americans, said Breznikar possesses a star quality not found in most athletes.

‘I’ve always said that if you have a swimmer that is really outstanding, she will pull the team along,’ Wetmore said. ‘That sort of ability is very rare, and that’s what Lidija can do.’

For her part, Breznikar is just glad to have finally achieved her goal of attending college in the United States. After graduating from high school in Arizona, the native of Kotpje, Slovenia longed to stay in America to study, but instead found herself completing her first year of medical school back in Slovenia.

But when Meagan Breiland, a sophomore on the BU swim team and a high school friend of Breznikar, invited her to visit Boston University, the undefeated Slovenian decided Boston would be the perfect fit for her.

‘I talked to the coach, and I just loved Boston, so I came to BU,’ Breznikar said.

This season, Breznikar and Breiland have led the Terriers to a respectable record against the toughest portion of the team’s schedule, and are now free to focus on Boston College, the only remaining challenge this season, according to Breznikar.

‘We still have to face BC, and they have a really good flyer,’ Breznikar said. ‘[Going undefeated] is not my goal I just want to win as much as I can. I want our team to win more than I want to win for myself.’

The Terriers certainly appear to be headed in the right direction. The team is riding a two-meet winning streak after beginning the season 0-3-1, and has a chance, according to players, to run the table for the rest of the regular season before heading to the America East Championships, planned for the weekend of Feb. 20. According to Breznikar, the only obstacle for the Terriers will be the hated Eagles.

‘BC is the only school left to play that will really be close,’ Breznikar said. ‘We’ve won our last two meets, and we’ve already faced the toughest competition on the schedule, so we should win more. For the conference meets, our goal is to place in the top three.’

With Breznikar at the helm, Wetmore thinks that the team’s goal of finishing in the top three is attainable, not just because of the points his leader earns in meets, but also because of the effect she has on her teammates in practice and training.

‘Players like [Breznikar] are a shining example the way they work hard at everything they do,’ the coach said. ‘My training program is very strenuous, and having a swimmer that can really train hard like Lidija makes a big difference.’

Breznikar attributes her ability to a combination of natural talent and a competitive streak that drives her during training and practice to work harder than anyone else.

‘I’m kind of lucky because my stroke is really good,’ she said. ‘It definitely contributes a lot to my success. I also work really hard at practices. It means a lot to me to do well in practice.’

It is that sort of attitude that has Wetmore already looking ahead, past the 18 wins and the three records, to what the future holds for Breznikar, the leader of the youth movement on a BU roster that features only four seniors.

‘She’s only in her freshman year of eligibility. She has the possibility of going far beyond what she’s doing now,’ Wetmore said.

Breznikar, however, prefers to focus only on the immediate future, rather than looking ahead at a possible spot on an Olympic team or any sort of professional career. For the college sophomore who has traveled across the world to settle at BU, the sheer joy she receives from swimming supersedes any considerations for the future.

‘I don’t think that I want to pursue a professional career,’ she said. ‘Right now, I just want to enjoy swimming, so I haven’t really thought about the Olympics or anything like that. It’s just great to have something like this that you’re just doing every day.’