For many Cavalier sports fans it was a thrill to support tailback Thomas Jones as he sprinted his way into the national spotlight this fall and finally gained some recognition outside the state of Virginia.
But now, with his departure this spring, Virginia fans should be looking for another deserving athlete to cheer to the top. The search is over, however, because Virginia might have another soon-to-be nationally known superstar lurking where few would ever suspect: underwater.
Introducing Burke, Va., native Ed Moses, a second-year member of the Virginia men's swimming team and probably someone most students have never even heard of.
Don't worry, you will.
In fact, if all goes according to plan, fans probably will catch him this summer racing for Olympic gold in Sydney, Australia at the 2000 Olympic games.
Moses is quite literally the number one breaststroker in the world, an honor he earned last summer at the Pan American Games. He finished the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:00.99 to set a Pan American record and earn himself the No. 1 ranking, while simultaneously becoming only the fourth person in history to beat the 1:01 mark.
Quite surprising for someone who's been training consistently for only three years.
"I know that I have natural talent and that's part of why I'm where I am," Moses said. "But I'm here primarily because of hard work and determination."
Moses began his swimming career when he was six years old, and swam competitively for four years before leaving the sport to explore other avenues. He didn't get his feet wet again until his senior year in high school, where he began a disciplined training schedule that would earn him a spot on a collegiate team and the chance to compete again.
When Virginia Coach Mike Bernardino saw the potential the young high school swimmer possessed and offered him a spot, Moses accepted and showed just how good he could be.
He proved it last season in the NCAA Championships, where the fledgling first year turned a major case of nerves into two second-place finishes in the 100 and 200-yard breaststrokes. The performance gave him the confidence he needed to make it to the top.
"I was really nervous entering into the NCAAs because I was just a first year, but placing second in two events gave me a lot of inspiration to continue to improve," Moses said. "It opened up my eyes as to how well I could do if I put enough effort into practicing, and it's been a motivating factor ever since."
And that was just the beginning. Last November, Moses went on to surpass German world record holder Mark Warnecke in the 50-meter breaststroke at the FINA World Cup. He bested Warnecke's time by 25 hundredths of a second to claim his second No. 1 spot.
But don't mistake his swift rise to the top as merely a fluke or a lucky streak, because one glance at Moses' training routine reflects the amount of work he has done to get where he is, and the determination he has to get where he's going.
"He is without question the hardest working breaststroker in the world," Bernardino said. "He is incredibly disciplined and motivated to do all the right things."
For Moses, that includes swimming an average of about 7,000 yards each week, followed by three hours of dry land training and one hour of weights every day. Couple that with a strict, year-round diet of no fat or alcohol, and at least eight hours of sleep per night and you've got a schedule only a future Olympian could love.
But before he can concentrate on the road to Sydney, Moses has this season's ACC and NCAA Championships to contend with. After that he'll take a week off to rest before turning his attention toward the Olympic trials in August. The trials will take place in Indianapolis, where Moses will try for a spot in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke races. Bernardino said he has no doubt about Moses' potential to dominate at the Olympics.
"He has the perfect mental attitude and an incredible feel for the water," he said. "I believe he is capable of bringing home two gold medals."
So while many of us will be watching Thomas Jones blister past NFL defenses next September, chances are Ed Moses will be reaching comparable speeds in the water. Because like Jones, this second year has the potential to become yet another a Virginia athlete destined to make waves.
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