It is never too late to make your dream a reality, and so Florida junior Conor Dwyer has proven.
Dwyer transferred to UF after swimming at Iowa for two years. While there, he set the school record in the 100-yard freestyle at the Big Ten Championships last season.
Since coming to Florida, he has picked up right where he left off.
In his first meet this season, on Oct. 9, the junior won the 200 free, and he has continued to excel for UF since.
“Conor Dwyer, right now, has been one of the most pleasant surprises,” coach Gregg Troy said. “He’s extremely versatile and he comes to practice every day with a great attitude. He’s going to be a big player at the NCAA (meet).”
Dwyer said he grew up a Gators fan, but that coming out of high school, he was not as fast. Iowa offered him an opportunity to compete and he made the best of it. However, one summer in Gainesville changed everything.
“I was looking for a place to train over the summer, I had family an hour away and I’d been a Gators fan growing up,” Dwyer said. “I just loved it when I came here to train, and I decided to stay.”
This weekend he’ll have another opportunity to show his abilities in the pool when UF splits for the Georgia Tech Invitational today through Saturday, and the South Carolina Invitational, which runs today and Friday.
UF’s women will also break up and compete in the two meets.
“We have a smaller group on each side, at each meet, and everyone has some relay opportunities,” Troy said. “It makes us slightly weaker team-wise, but we get a better feel for where a lot of people are.”
