The 6’4″ former Avon breaststroker has had a crazy roller coaster ride the past few months what with decommitting from the University of Arizona, opting instead to go to Arizona State University. "Arizona has been quite the change, the dry heat and extreme sun is something that will take a little acclimation. Arizona State just seemed all around like the best school for me. I was born in Arizona, so I only looked at Arizona schools, with the hope of returning. I looked at U of A and ASU. I loved them both, but I have family in Tempe, and I like the urban setting slightly more than that of Tucson. It was a tough choice, and it involved a school switch, but I made the right choice. I love the coaching staff at ASU, all friendly and very knowledgeable, and this program contains all the things I looked for. I wanted a program where I could come in and be a contributing member of the team and help the program grow as a whole, and that is what I found." Contribute is something Lorenz will do right off that bat. During the 2013-14 Indiana High School State Championship meet Lorenz helped former team Avon get state runner-up to Chesterton High School. Lorenz split the second fastest breaststroke leg in the 200 medley relay splitting a 25.02 and he also placed 2nd in the 100 breaststroke behind Columbus North's Cody Taylor with a time of 54.88. "We knew very well that nothing was going to be handed to us at state. But we also always kept in mind that our training would give us the ability to easily take spots that we weren't expected to have. But no, I don't think our performance (was) disappointing. Sure, we had guys that weren't thrilled with their times, but collectively we all had great swims and every race mattered. To be in the lead the first half was fantastic, and to be able to fight off Penn the last two events was incredible." Avon was shown to be a very special team this year. Not only did they take 2nd at the state meet but their swimmers truly worked together like that of a true family. It is clear that Lorenz has had to say goodbye to a very special group of young men, but how special? "A hard-working, eclectic group of men. We ranged from our high school season only swimmers, to the guys who were there day in and day out. We had marching band members, who were multiple state and grand national champions, and we had single sport swimmers. We all meshed into one team, we all worked hard, we all kept our eye on the task at hand, and we all pushed each other day in and day out to help improve everyone around us. I could not have imagined a better group, and I owe a large part of my success to them" It is true the team did help each other out in tremendous ways, but was it the reason for Lorenz's 2nd place in the 100 breaststroke? His 54.88 was not far off of Cody Taylor's 54.24. But this does not seem to shock ASU Freshman. "I believed I could go that fast, and was hoping to go a little faster. I was satisfied with my time, as it was .04 faster than my swim at winter junior nationals, and after all a drop is a drop. Of course I was eye-balling the top spot, but I have to congratulate Cody, he's one heck of an athlete." So who is Christian Lorenz exactly? Not many knew about the former Avon breaststroke star at first but Lorenz made himself heard. Like all, you wonder how such a driven young man starts out in such a competitive sport. "When we first moved to Indiana we had a neighbor who was on ACST and so my parents decided to put my sister and I in swim lessons, and it just went from there. I believe I was about 7. I got my first state cut at the age of 9, first zone cut at the age of 12, and my first junior national cut last year in March at the age of 17, and in December of 2013 when I was 18 I got my national cuts" Avon has a second chance next season what with the likes of Chandler Bray and Parks Jones returning. Anything can happen. Due to graduation, all the Chesterton seniors are all gone. Not much should stand in Avon's way -- or should there? "Avon's chances at a state title next year are looking brighter than they may have this year. They have a very strong and talented group of young men returning, and after a second place they are more motivated than ever. But like I said, nothing is handed out. Penn has a strong returning group, as does HSE and a few others." Lorenz is all settled in at ASU and seems like he's ready to help out his new Sun Devil teammates and put in a good freshman year there. "The team is strong, and getting stronger with every class that comes in. I am not sure of our exact meet schedule, but I know it'll include some good dual meets, and hopefully some eyes are opened" Contributing is a main one. Scoring points at dual meets, and scoring at Pac 12s would be awesome. But above all there is always making that NCAA "A" cut. Getting the cut would involve a nice little time drop, but I think I have it in me. Other than that I'd like to just generally excel. Do well in school, and work on technique in all of my strokes. I'm pretty excited for just about everything. I am somewhat nervous for the college learning environment, and having to manage my time a lot better than I did in high school" You can be sure that Lorenz will make a huge impact on his new team. He made history of Avon now it's time to make history at ASU. |
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February 2015
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