During his last race of the MSU swimming and diving teams’ home meet against Oakland University Saturday, senior swimmer Ian Rodriguez sat on the starting block with a look of reminiscence. This would be the last time Rodriguez would swim at McCaffree Pool — his senior night.
Rodriguez took fifth place in the event, the 200-yard individual medley, but two earlier first-place finishes in the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard medley relay made for a worthy send off.
Overall, the men's defeated the Golden Grizzlies by a final score of 179-118 and the women's team won by a final score of 160-134.
“(Senior Day) was special,” Rodriguez said. “It meant a lot because all of our parents were here, too. It was a pretty packed house. It was the most packed I’ve seen this place in a long time. It’s the end of a chapter but it’s not over yet, we still have a lot of work to do.”
Rodriguez has accomplished several impressive accolades throughout his four years at MSU. For starters, Rodriguez recorded the third-fastest time in MSU history in the 100-yard backstroke. But his biggest accomplishment was earning the 100-yard backstroke championship in the Puerto Rican International Open this past season.
“(Winning the Puerto Rican title) was an awesome experience,” Rodriguez said. “I got to represent my family out there. It wasn’t like I was swimming for Michigan State, I was swimming towards something larger than myself.”
Rodriguez has grown immensely as a swimmer at MSU and looks to conclude his time as a Spartan with a bang. The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will conclude their dual-meet season Feb. 6 with a trip to Ann Arbor to take on the University of Michigan. Afterward, the men’s team will head to West Lafayette, Indiana on Feb. 24 for the Big Ten championships. The women’s team is scheduled to return to Ann Arbor on Feb. 17 for their Big Ten championship meet.
And as the end of Rodriguez’s time at MSU comes to term, men’s head coach Matt Gianiodis looks back on how far he has come outside of the pool.
A growth in confidence
Coach Gianiodis has watched Rodriguez grow not only as a swimmer through four years, but as a person. Rodriguez has a noticeable stutter, but has worked to overcome this ailment through the years.
“Ian stutters,” Gianiodis said. “I’ve seen him grow to the point where he can talk in front of groups now really well, talk in front of his teammates really well. He has the maturity about him that we wouldn’t have seen three years ago. I think the Michigan State experience for him has been really good.”
Gianiodis said Rodriguez’s past experiences have given him the natural ability to lead, and during his four years, he has learned how to uncap his ailments.
“He’s had the opportunities and experiences that kids have not had,” Gianiodis said. “He has the ability to use that experience to try to help mentor some of the younger guys on the team.”
Along his road, Rodriguez has made friends he’ll keep for the rest of his life. Senior diver Charles Maurer, Rodriguez’s roommate, now looks back on how he’s witnessed him continue his personal growth.
“I’ve enjoyed watching (Rodriguez) swim over the years,” Maurer said. “He’s definitely drastically improved. He went and swam with the Puerto Rican team for a little bit, I think that really kicked him into high gear. He realized he has a lot of potential that he’s able to unleash in the pool. He’s just been working as hard as he can.”
Rodriguez will continue his swimming career after college. He has plans to train in Europe after this season and hopes to become a member of the Puerto Rican Olympic team.
