As a junior at Sherwood High School in Olney, Md., Jamie Grimes did not think he would swim in college.
Nor did he ever think he would make such an impact at a Division I school such as Virginia.
It just was not the right time.
But in Grimes' senior year in high school, his times got faster and faster. When he came to Virginia, he walked on the swim team as a long-distance freestyler.
He has exceeded everyone's expectations. Grimes has earned All-ACC and All-American honors and now, four years after having little hope of swimming collegiately, is a favorite to win each race he takes on.
Grimes said he is "honored to be here because it is a prestigious university."
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Swimming coach Mark Bernardino is just as honored to have him on his team.
It is a "thrill for him to be here. He is an absolute pleasure to coach," he said. "Jamie is the hardest working, most determined athlete any coach can come across."
Grimes also exhibits his work ethic in the classroom. He has been an NCAA Academic All-American each of his four years and lists this honor as one of his goals for this year.
"I've gotten used to it," Grimes said. Varsity athletes "don't have as much time as everyone else. You have to be time oriented."
Ultimately that's what swimming comes down to anyway: time. This season Grimes has structured his time quite well.
He won all four 1,000-yard free races he's competed in this season. Last Friday against Tennessee, Grimes also won the 500 free. At every meet, he is the one to beat in the distance events, but he does not let the expectations affect his outlook on his swimming.
"I don't concentrate on people trying to beat me, but concentrate on beating everyone else," Grimes said.
As one of the three team captains, Grimes leads by example and has made himself one of the premier distance swimmers in the world. He came in fifth place at the U.S. swim team trials and is a four-time first-team All-ACC member. He also has earned Honorable Mention and first-team All-American honors.
With those accolades behind him, Grimes set higher goals for himself this season. He wants to finish in the top four at NCAA Championships, where he placed sixth last season in the 1,500 free. He wants to duplicate the success he had in February at the ACC Championships, where he finished second in the 1,650 free behind teammate Austin Ramirez in February. The Cavs' 1-2-3 finish in that event propelled them to their second consecutive conference title.
"No matter how tough it is, he's up for it," Bernardino said. "He loves to push his body to extreme limits. He's manufactured excellence through his determination. [He] enjoys coming to practice every day."
This weekend Grimes and the team will have the opportunity to put their hard work to the test. The Cavalier Invitational, which starts today and continues through Saturday, is a time trial meet where swimmers from five schools can track their progress at this point in the season.
"It is an opportunity for individuals from all schools to swim their best times and swim fast," Bernardino said.
Virginia, ranked 12th in the nation, will face some of the toughest competition it has seen this season. Central Connecticut State, which finished in the NCAA top 25 last year, headlines the opponents. West Virginia, Yale and West Chester all had strong seasons in 1999-2000. William & Mary rounds out the group. Events will start at the Aquatic and Fitness Center at 10 a.m. each day and last until 6 p.m.
In addition to Grimes, the Cavalier men will look to senior Michael Fuller and freshmen Luke Wagner and Ian Prichard for strong times. The No. 13 women, led by senior Megan Iffland and sophomores Lindsey Crane and Cara Lane, also will compete.
"We are fortunate to have a strong nucleus of eight or nine women who possess NCAA potential," Bernardino said. "They're not ready to be beat by anybody."
Grimes wants to turn in good times this weekend, but he sees the event only as a step on his quest to be ACC Champion in the 1,000-yard free. And with Grimes's determination, this is not an unrealistic goal.
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