Making a Splash
December 16, 2006 01:54 PM | General
December 16, 2006
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| Kitti Veisz |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - What a difference three months can make. It was in that short period of time that West Virginia University freshman swimmer Kitti Veisz was competing for a club team in her native Budapest, Hungary, when her coach came to her with an interesting proposition.
“He recommended Coach (Sergio) Lopez. He told me what a great coach and what a great person Sergio is. We both thought that coming to WVU would be a great opportunity for me,” Veisz said.
Lopez trained with Veisz’s club coach for four years and he told Lopez that Kitti probably needed a change of scenery.
“She was kind of in a funk,” Lopez said.
Veisz has wasted no time making an impact on a vastly improved women’s team this year. Specializing in both the 100 and 200 meter breast stroke, Veisz has already set school records in both events. She swam the 100 breast in a time of 1:02.12 to help lead the Mountaineers to a first place finish at Terrapin Cup Invitational earlier this season and she covered the 200 breast in a time of 2:14.27 against Big East foe Louisville back on Oct. 28. Veisz was also a part of three record breaking relay teams at the Terrapin Cup.
Her 200 breast time is the ninth fastest in the country and her 100 breast clocking is the 13th fastest.
“Those times will probably qualify her for nationals and I think she has the potential to finish in the top 12 (earning All-America status),” said Lopez.
Veisz’s success shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. She arrived at WVU with vast international swimming experience. In 2002, Veisz won the Junior European silver medal for her efforts in the 50-meter breast stroke and in 2006 she was a member of the Hungarian national team.
While success in the pool has come easily for Veisz, the adjustment to a new culture and a new way of life in the United States has been more of a challenge.
“I came here for the first time three months ago,” she said. “It is a lot different here than in Hungary. The practice is a little bit different and the environment is different as well. The first time I was in class it was so different that I didn’t understand anything.”
Different in this case means better for Veisz. After an initial adjustment period, the freshman psychology major is now enjoying life in Morgantown both on and away from the pool deck.
“For one thing, I think it is better than Hungary because my team is much better than at home,” Veisz says with a laugh. “The people are much friendlier here than in Hungary and I really like the school a lot. Now it is much better and I have adjusted.”
Lopez admits he was worried that Veisz and some of the other European swimmers would get homesick.
“The biggest thing is the difference in cultures and the language barriers,” Lopez explained. “What we have tried to do is embrace the family atmosphere here. Her roommate Annie Kerns has really been helpful by taking Kitti under her wing. Over Thanksgiving she took Kitti back to Charleston to spend the holiday with her family.”
Veisz has also adjusted to the difference in competition at WVU. Where she might only swim in one event during a competition back in Hungary, she is now getting an opportunity to contribute in a variety of ways for the Mountaineers.
“This year I have to swim a lot of events and in Hungary I only swam in one or two events per competition,” she said. “Here I have to swim relay as well as my other normal events. It is harder but I like it and it makes us better.”
Actually it has made them much, much better. The women have compiled a 4-2 record in the first semester portion of their season, a measure of success that has not been achieved at WVU in many years. The women are currently ranked 31st in the dual meet poll as voted by the college coaches.
Veisz says she prefers the more team-oriented swimming in America to the more individual-based swimming in Europe. She is enjoying her opportunity to make a big impact on an improving WVU women’s program.
“Here it is more focused on the team,” Veisz said. “In Hungary it is based on and individual. There is no relay or any team things like that. I like the team concept better because the team is together and you realize how much of a difference one person can make.”
“I didn’t really believe in the power of teams until I began coaching, but it can make a difference in swimmers achieving faster times,” Lopez said, adding that the team’s European swimmers are still getting accustomed to the American tradition of cheering for their teammates.
Veisz is learning and is making a difference.
With her continued efforts and the efforts of all her teammates, the women’s team looks to build on its momentum as the second half of the season approaches.
