As he entered his last season of collegiate competition, former SIUC All-American diver Rob Siracusano had a goal to win an Olympic Gold Medal.

Because of Siracusano’s graduation last May, he does not have to think about final exams, and he has no NCAA training regulations to be concerned about.

Now living in Ann Arbor, Mich., Siracusano rooms with 1992 Diving Gold Medalist Mark Lenzi, and is concentrating on training for the 1996 Olympic Trials.

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Siracusano said living and training with Lenzi is rewarding and gives him someone to look up to.

He (Lenzi) is a great role model to watch train, and I have a lot of respect for him, Siracusano said.

SIUC diving coach Dave Ardrey, who coached every season Siracusano spent at SIUC, explained what Siracusano is aiming his diving talents toward.

He (Siracusano) is training springboard as well as shifting his focus on platform diving, Ardrey said. He wants to make the Olympic Trials in 96.

Siracusano, who had not been able to train platform diving on a regular basis before he moved to Ann Arbor, said he is feeling comfortable with the 10-meter tower.

I think I’m more comfortable with the tower, which is scary because it’s up there, Siracusano said. It’s been rough working a lot of tower, but it’s starting to pay off.

Ardrey said Siracusano will have to place in the top eight at the U. S. Nationals during April in order to get his invitation to the Olympic Trials on the springboard.

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In the five years he was here with us, he did that (placing in the top eight) one time, and he knocked on the door several times. He’s always hovered around that top-eighth place, Ardrey said.

Performing well at the U. S. Nationals was not the only achievement of Siracusano’s during his stay at SIUC.

Among his long list of accomplishments over the water, Siracusano holds the men’s Recreation Center Pool records on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards from 11 dives with 524.7 points on the 1-meter and 583.5 points on the 3-meter board.

Ardrey said the 23-year-old Siracusano is taking some of his time and devoting it to platform diving in an effort to qualify in both forms of diving; and also said Siracusano is focusing on the upcoming Olympic Trials, but he will have to make a decision after the Trials.

Obviously he’s got a decision to make after these Trials, do I continue to 2000?,’ Ardrey said. He wants to continue on to 2000.

Siracusano said one of his current goals is to make it to the Olympics in 2000.

I’m going to go year by year and see how I feel both health wise and mentally, Siracusano said.

Provided Siracusano remains healthy in all aspects and continues to perform well in diving, as Ardrey points out, he may have a better chance of Olympic competition in four years.

I think his best shot will be in 2000, Ardrey said. Part of that is due to attrition, the fact there are twelve guys ahead of him who are going to retire, and he’s going to continue to get better and better.

He doesn’t have to worry about making grades, he doesn’t have to worry about getting up and going to class, he doesn’t have to worry about the pressures of the NCAA rules, he is doing one thing, and that’s diving every day and focusing his attention on a very high level, Ardrey said.

Two swimmers who are just beginning their swimming careers on the Saluki men’s team will make their bids for Olympic competition this summer along with Siracusano.

Liam Weseloh, a freshman from Toronto, Ontario, is currently in Toronto training for the Canadian Olympic Team.

Men’s coach Rick Walker said there is no restriction on training time per day where Weseloh is, and said that allows him to swim longer distances and more often than SIUC swimmers can.

Walker said competition in Canada is as competitive as competition in the U. S.

He’s got a better shot at making the Canadian team than he does here (in the U. S.), Walker said. The swimmers (in Canada) are equally as good as the swimmers here, they just don’t go as deep.

Walker explained why Weseloh left early to train for the Canadian Olympic Team.

One of the reasons he went back was that he would feel more comfortable with the same coach taking him in to the trials rather than training here and going home a week-and-a-half right before his trials and finishing up with a coach who hadn’t seen him all year, and I totally agree with him, Walker said.

Walker said Weseloh’s chances of making the Canadian team are good, and that he made the right choice returning to Canada.

I think he’s got a great shot, Walker said. He has to have a good meet and it’s not a given. There are three or four guys fighting for a second spot (on the team), and Liam is one of the guys fighting for that second spot.

Although Herman Louw, a swimmer from South Africa, is not competing for SIUC this year, he will start his Saluki career in the fall of 1996.

Walker has high hopes for Louw’s Olympic Games bid, and is patiently awaiting his arrival to SIUC.

I talked to him today, and he is doing some phenomenal times in workouts, Walker said. If he doesn’t make the Olympic Team in South Africa, I’ll be shocked.

If he has a good meet, he’s putting himself close to medaling, Walker said. He’s about the best all-around swimmer I’ve seen in a long time and he is a world-class athlete.