For many MSU athletes, their homes and families are not that distant. But for some, they are a world away.
As a member of the Spartans swimming and diving team (6-5 overall, 1-4 Big Ten), Ildiko Szekely is one of those athletes.
The interdisciplinary studies and international relations senior has spent most of her MSU years away from her family in Budapest, Hungary.
“They love that I have this opportunity here in the U.S.,” Szekely said. “But I’m a total daddy’s girl, and my dad hates the fact that I’m so far away for so much of the time.”
Because of her demanding schedule and short vacations, Szekely has only returned home during the summer. She spent a month at home last summer.
But her family - father Bela Szekely, mother Erzebet Szabo and older brother Peter Szekely - understand the opportunities she has at MSU.
Szekely has certainly made an impact on Spartan swimming - she holds the school record in the 100-yard butterfly at 55:50 seconds, the school record in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:26.96 and the MSU pool record in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:01.40 - but she choose MSU for its academic opportunities.
“Here, I have the opportunity to choose classes,” she said. “The universities are different in Hungary. You don’t have 500 majors to pick from. Here it’s more broad, and you can choose whatever you want.
“I like the whole college experience, too. Living in a house with a bunch of other kids is fun. And I like to go and hang out with my friends from the swim team.”
Since beginning swimming at age 3, Szekely has never know life without the sport.
Even though she had made several appearances in the Hungarian National Championships, and competed in the prestigious Ferencva’rosi Torna Club since 1985, Szekely’s early experiences swimming in her native country were not exactly fulfilling.
“In Hungary, I wasn’t considered a good swimmer,” she said. “I was getting frustrated with swimming because there you don’t get much attention, and the coaches are very emotionally abusing. Some coaches said that I wouldn’t improve, and I should quit because there was no future for me.
“That was motivation for me to get out (of Hungary).”
So at 17, Szekely decided to head to the United States and pursue her swimming dreams.
After receiving help from her cousin, Csilla Nemeph, who had already settled here, Szekely decided to attend Mercersburg Academy, a boarding school in Mercersburg, Pa.
“I had heard that (although) it was a private school, it was also a big swimming school, so I decided to apply and finish my high school years there,” she said.
However, she admits her first years in the United States were not easy.
“It was hard being there at first,” she said. “I didn’t speak English at all at first. I was at a private school with 400 other people, and I had to live in the dorms and take classes with those kids when I could barely speak English. It was kind of rough.
“It was a huge culture shock living with the other kids. It’s a whole other culture, and different ways of thinking. (But) there are similarities because Hungary and most of Europe is becoming more Westernized.”
Szekely eventually learned to adjust, improved her English, and excelled on Mercersburg’s swimming team. She qualified for junior nationals her junior and senior year, and was a two-time All-American.
Szekely’s success has continued at MSU.
And with a grueling training schedule of four-hour practices, six days a week, it’s no surprise to her teammates.
“She knows how to be successful, and is one of the hardest workers on the team,” said marketing junior and swimmer Kate Duncombe. “She takes it really seriously, has a strong work ethic and does a really good job.
“We get motivated just by watching her. She’s really motivated and driven, and the passion she has for this sport gets us going.”
MSU swimming head coach Jim Lutz said despite Szekely’s success, she maintains a down-to-earth attitude.
“She has an air of confidence about her, without getting too cocky,” he said. “That’s what great athletes do - they speak great volumes through their actions, and not their mouths. That’s what she does.”
Since this is her senior year, Szekely will no longer be able to compete at the college level after the season ends. But that hasn’t deterred her from setting more goals.
She hopes to qualify for the NCAA Nationals on March 21-23 at the University of Texas at Austin.
After graduating, Szekely plans to work toward a master’s degree in sociology and anthropology. But she wants swimming to remain a fixture in her life.
“I’m not looking forward to leaving at all,” she said. “My relationship with the coaches and the team has been the best experience for me so far.”
