Former Virginia swimmer Ed Moses is pretty pleased with his life right now. With a solid GPA at one the country's most prestigious universities, an assistant coaching position on the up-and-coming Cavalier swim squad and a solid sense of stability with friends and family, Moses appears to have succeeded at finding the balance between academics, extracurriculars and fun for which most undergraduates strive.
But Moses' undergraduate life has been anything but typical. Lately Moses has become synonymous with "10 days, five world records."
That's the astonishing feat Moses accomplished last month at the World Cup finals. In a span of 10 days, from Jan. 18 to 27, Moses competed in Paris, Stockholm and Berlin and smashing 50, 100- and 200-meter short course breaststroke events.
"I knew I was there for something big," Moses said. "Now that I'm home and looking back, it all happened in the blink of an eye. I can't believe I broke five records and didn't let it occur to me. It's definitely the best time in my career. I was free, I did it for myself and I enjoyed the moment."
Moses's stellar World Cup showing has been years in the making. A native of Burke, Va., Moses arrived at the University in 1998 and quickly excelled in the breast events, becoming the ACC Men's Rookie of the Year and receiving All-American honors. His college career culminated at the 2000 NCAA Championships where he was selected as Swimmer of the Championship. There, Moses shattered world records three times to win the 100 and 200 breast events.
"That was the moment I knew I had something special," he said. "There was no turning back after that."
Moses wasn't the only one who recognized the moment's importance. Virginia coach Mark Bernardino sat down with his phenom and the two agreed that Moses' swimming career was heading in a new, non-collegiate direction.
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Moses earned a spot on the 2000 Olympics team that competed in Sydney. There he garnered a gold medal as a member of the American men's 400 medley relay, a silver medal in the 100 breastand set yet another world record for being the first man to break one minute for the breaststroke leg of the 400 medley relay. His romp of impressive showings continued at the U.S. Open where, in 2001, he won the 100 and 200 breast competitions.
"In my first few big meets, I was more of a follower," he said. "I went with the flow. Now, I'm going to have to accept that people have expectations for me. I'm ready for them."
Following the 2000 Olympics, Moses remained at home for a year to focus on swimming, having already missed the semester's beginning. He returned this year to continue his studies at the University and play a leadership role in Bernardino's swimming program as a volunteer assistant coach.
Additionally, Moses continues to train with the team under Bernardino, who he said he credits as being "a huge part of my success."
"Leaving the team is tough," Moses said. "When you spend 25 hours a week with these people, you realize the group is a family. But I can still be with them and train with them. The only thing that's changed is me not being up on the blocks with them come Saturday."
Despite the prestige, accolades and financial benefits bestowed upon him, Moses emphasizes the personal importance of academics, insisting that an undergraduate degree in sports medicine is part of his life plan. He credits the lessons he has learned in swimming as having a profound, positive effect on other areas of his life including education.
"The discipline swimmers put into their work is incredible," he said. "You learn what it means to sacrifice and set lofty goals for yourself. That's what life is about"
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