Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh's Herman finds success in the water
3/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
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by Alen Beljin
of the
Sean Herman tried out for a spot on the
Things have worked out well for the
Herman finished fourth in the 200 free (his highest individual finish) and seventh in the 100 free, while helping three Mountain Hawk relay teams (400 free, 800 free and 200 medley) to third place finishes at the conference championships. His 200 free relay squad ended up fourth.
“Every year you wonder if you're going to improve,” Herman said. “That was the best part – I was able to improve again. Freshman year, I did not see myself going this far.”
“It seemed every year he got faster in some event,” said his father, Kent Herman. “He worked hard.”
Sean Herman benefited from a coaching change, with Rob Herb coming aboard before his junior season. The new coach switched Herman from distance to sprint swimming, and increased his upper body strength.
“He changed things a lot, and I gained a little bit of weight,” explained the 5-11 Herman, who as a rookie weighed 130 pounds and now checks in at 155. “He figured out that if I was going to be a good sprinter, he needed to find out a way to speed up my arms. I feel like I have a strong kick, that’s always been an asset.
“He used to put a strap on my legs during practice, and I would have to spin my arms a lot. It ended up giving me a little bit more upper body strength, speeding up my arms for sprint races. Just figuring that out…it finally clicked. I'm really glad Rob came along.”
Herb was thrilled that Herman was willing to listen.
“The credit goes to Sean,” the coach said. “He was willing to go through the torture of training. Ultimately, it came down to Sean putting our words and ideas into the pool. He was open to trying new things and trying whatever was needed to do to get faster.”
Mountain Hawk senior teammate Justin Tippens was proud that his friend became an all-league swimmer. “He got really good because he did what the coaches said, and he showed up at practice.”
Herman has also excelled in the classroom, earning a place on the league academic honor roll twice.
He competed in cross-country and tennis at
Seeing what it took to succeed at a Division I swimming program made Herman invest more time at the pool.
“When I was first going to college, I wasn't sure that I wanted to swim,” he recalled. “The team has been incredible and I stuck with it. I threw a lot more into it than high school. It became a bigger part of my life in college.”
Herman is set in a few weeks to graduate with a degree in English.
“Lehigh has been an incredible choice,” he said. “I love everything about it. I've had some interesting professors.”
Herman is not exactly sure what he will do in the real world, but would enjoy working in publishing or at National Public Radio. “I want something that I could wake up and not be unhappy about.”
This story originally appeared in the Wednesday, March 29, 2006 edition of the Salisbury Press. Used with permission.
Inside Photo © 2006, Alen Beljin
