You probably know the name Austin Sorg for Oak Harbor swimming. He feels he's the one with a duty to know everyone.
Austin Sorg has three options in the pool.
He calls them thirds. You might be surprised where the Oak Harbor swimmer spends the bulk of his time.
"I spend most of the season feeling (terrible)," Sorg said. "That's important to continue to give full effort so I can be confident and be in that top third when it's go time. Every race I have one goal. Sometimes I (don't) feel (great), so it's just go out there and feel good about it in some way.
"Another is to win. I'm exhausted, but I try to do my best. Then, there's breaking records. Swim out of my mind type deal. I always complain to my mom (Rockets coach Andrea Sorg) how tired I am."
If Sorg doesn't feel terrible, he likely feels just good enough. The final third is when he's ready for peak performance in the moment.
Sorg, of course, is a former state champion in the 100 butterfly as a sophomore, who was second in the event last season. He was also second in the 200 individual medley as a junior.
"Sometimes, if I'm in the bottom third and I'm exhausted, you block out the pain, put your head down and work," he said. "Other times, you can't go any harder than you already are. You want to feel your best to be in the top third.
"I make myself go in the top third, but sometimes I dip into the bottom. I make it a priority to trick my mind. Maybe I improved something with a stroke, for a win."
His mom doesn't hesitate to push him, and nothing is a surprise at this point. He knows what the preparation process looks like, ups and downs.
Rarely feeling at his best in the pool is a big reason he's one of the best in Ohio.
"I probably have a 'meh' day twice a week," he said. "For most of the season, I'm never in that top third when I'm racing. It's really just a mindset. Confidence. For a state swim or a district swim, I'll be in that top third."
He was in rare form at the Oak Harbor Mizuno Invitational in January as he established pool records (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle for his leg in the 400 freestyle relay), school records (500 freestyle, 50 freestyle) and two personal best times.
He swam two of the top times in the state this season (500 freestyle, 50 freestyle) and achieved an All-America time standard in the 50 freestyle.
"Our medley and 400 free relay laid down good times for a great place looking forward to (the postseason) the next three weeks," he said. "It was special because I was able to perform at a very high level in my home pool and next to my best friend on Senior Night."
Sorg actually has a top five time in every event in Division II this season. He already held the school record in every event, except the 200 freestyle relay.
He topped his mark in every event this season, except the 200 IM.
He'll compete in the postseason in the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and medley and 400 freestyle relays with Brennan O'Neill, Garyn Stewart and Tyler Johannsen. Nobody learned of Sorg's second individual event until psych sheets were revealed this week.
"No one has a clue in the world," he said of the 200 freestyle. "Why not make them wait?"
Sorg owns Oak Harbor pool records in the 200 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, as well as a few pool records elsewhere.
Topping the district mark in the 200 freestyle, his own district record in the 100 butterfly and his own school marks in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly are on Sorg's radar for the postseason. With a career best of 47.8 seconds from state last year, he also ponders surpassing 46.76 for the state record in the butterfly.
After that final race, Sorg shifts his focus to Pittsburgh to continue his career in the Atlantic Coast Conference and study business.
"I went on a visit and it immediately clicked," he said. "The campus was beautiful. I got to know the guys on the team. It's an up and coming program and I want to be a part of that; building something amazing."
A coach recruiting Sorg to Ohio State left the Buckeyes for UCLA, which only has a women's program. The coach thought Pittsburgh was a good fit for Sorg, who was thrilled at the rapid response when he reached out.
"A change of scenery," he said. "From a small village to a big city school with new opportunities and people. I'm excited to see who I meet and where everything takes me. I'm anxious to see my potential without my mom as coach.
"I love having my mom as my coach, but I want to see what that will be like."
He's still likely to most often feel like garbage, while striving for small victories between races when he summons his extra gear.
Knowing what to expect hasn't allowed Sorg to exhale. He qualified to state in 12 events his first three years, but he's far from complacent now.
"In the pool, there's not really time to relax," he said. "If you relax, your competition are getting better than you. You can't relax and fall behind. Outside the pool, with the team I was able to relax and be myself. We have a great group and we're a family.
"I can constantly laugh. I wouldn't say I haven't been able to do that in the past — I have — but this is my last year in the program. I want to leave an impression and be a good role model."
For Sorg, that's more than his accomplishments.
"I have a duty to know everyone," he said. "The team goal was to hang out and my goal was to have a relationship with every one of the guys on the team. My senior buddy (O'Neill) who's been with me the last 10 years to all the returners and five first-year swimmers.
"That's who I am. When people think of high profile athletes, they don't think of the out of the pool stuff. I don't just want to be known for who I am in the pool, but who I am as a person and what I stand for. I want to be remembered as more than a swimmer."
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Austin Sorg familiar with state meet for Oak Harbor OHSAA swimming
Category: General Sports
