By Lileana Pearson, Swimming World College Intern
Bart Sommeling is a freshman from Lindenwood University Belleville. The business administration major is making his mark in the pool, particularly in distance events.
Originally from the Netherlands he used a Dutch agency to help send our resumes and profiles of himself to colleges and universities. “These profiles included grades and my personal best swimming. Mandy Chun, the head coach at LWU Belleville, was one of the coaches that responded and we started emailing back and forth,” Sommeling said.
He finally picked Lindenwood-Belleville because of a Skype conversation he had with Coach Chun and some of the swimmers. “The Skype call gave me a great feeling about the team,” Sommeling said.
Another part of LWU that appealed to Sommeling was the size of the university. With a 35-acre campus and an average freshman class size of 20 people it was sure to be an adventure of a lifetime, but nothing too drastic.
When it came to the athletic portion of the college the team is what drew him into the program. Sommeling loves the encouragement of the team, the family-like bond and the unending supply of enthusiasm. “Everyone is always cheering for teammates that are racing. This is awesome, especially during the mile, when I see my teammates jumping and shouting for me.”
Even a strong team can’t keep away fear when it comes to competing. “My biggest swimming fear is to push. The fear to push that last 150 on the 500 free, the fear to push and go even faster the second half of the mile. This fear is also one of my biggest pet peeves in swimming for myself because I’ll end the race with energy left.”
Fears aside, there’s no excuse to not be ready for top notch performances. Sommeling tries to start every practice with a clear mind. As he begins to swim, he relaxes, forgetting the stress of the day and days to come. There is no homework, there are no schedules, just the cool water and familiar movement of his beloved sport.
“I always evaluate my practices. I ask myself questions such like, ‘How did practice go? How did I feel throughout practice? What could I have done differently so that it may have gone better?’” Sommeling said. Getting answers to these questions helps him be more successful in forthcoming practices, meets and races.
Sommeling isn’t only outstanding in his practice ethics, but just had a dominant showing at NAIA Championships. The freshman star came in second in the 1650 freestyle (15:19.5), fifth in the 400 I.M. (4:00.86), and second in the 500 free (4:29.21). Keep an eye out for Sommeling in the next few seasons– he’s only getting started.
Bart Sommeling
Congratulations Bart Sommeiling!
How about Olivet Nazarene University? Excellent performance by a newer program. #NAIAChampions.
Baas Bart!!!
Mooi stukje van jou Bart, nog veel succes!