Indiana University Athletics
Getting to Know Sergiy Fesenko
2/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 22, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Senior long distance swimmer and Ukraine native, Sergiy Fesenko, is enjoying his time in Indiana, and also enjoying some success this season with his swimming stroke. Fesenko is an NCAA automatic qualifier in the 500 freestyle, and is a provisional qualifier in the 200 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle. With those events already set for upcoming weeks, Fesenko has his mind set on this weekend's Big Ten Meet, and also reflects on his time here at Indiana.
Fesenko is a Kiev, Ukraine native and represented his home country in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He is no stranger to competitive swimming due to his father's success in the pool. Fesenko's father, Sergey Fesenko, won gold in the 200 butterfly in the 1980 Olympic Games. The European style of swimming is individually oriented and coming to the United States to swim at the NCAA level was a change from how Fesenko trained for the 2000 Olympic Games. Swimming at the college level in the U.S. is team oriented, and Fesenko believes this has made him a stronger swimmer.
"The American style motivates me more and engages me in what I am doing," Fesenko said. "The practices are usually easier because of moral support from teammates and coaches. That has resulted in my time improvement."
The thought of leaving home to come so far away can be tough for any student-athlete. Fesenko has taken the opportunity in stride and considers his time at Indiana and in the U.S. the best years of his life. He had always dreamed of being a student and was interested in the U.S. way of life growing up. Fesenko feels fortunate to have achieved what he has during his time in the United States.
Fesenko is now looking forward to this weekend's Big Ten Meet. He hopes he and his teammates can perform well and give nothing but their best this weekend.
"I would like our team to show the best effort possible, so we have nothing to regret knowing we gave it all our heart," Fesenko said. "I don't think about what place that we are going to be, the best things happen when you don't expect them."
After his college career ends here at Indiana, Fesenko hopes to stay at IU with head coach Ray Looze until the 2008 Olympics. After that, he plans to get his master's degree and would like to become a swimming coach at the Division I level.
