It’s been a good year for swimmers at the University of Mary Washington, with both men’s and women’s teams ranking in the top ten for this region. Some credit may go to the school’s assistant swim coach – an aspiring Paralympian who powers through the water with only one leg. Sandy Hausman has that story
When Dalton Herendeen was a baby, he developed a life-threatening blood clot in his left leg. The safest treatment, doctors said, was to remove the lower part of that limb. Today, at 22, Herendeen looks back on a childhood of challenge. With the help of a prosthetic leg, he played football, basketball and baseball, but it was swimming that led him to become a serious athlete.
"It’s something that’s hard for me to explain," he says. "When I hit the water, for the first time in my life I feel like I’m on the same level field as everybody else. I feel super human. It’s definitely a magical feeling that I fell in love with early on."
And after the 8th grade, he decided to specialize.
"I wanted to be great at swimming and at the time the Paralympics was just getting into my life," Herendeen explains. "I had a really great opportunity with Paralympics. My coach was like, “If you want to take this seriously and have a shot to make the team in London, you really need to focus in on swimming, and that means doing swimming year round.”
He did make the team and had a respectable showing in London, but he didn’t win any medals – a record he hopes to remedy in Rio. He’s training at the University of Mary Washington while helping to coach the school’s swim teams.
Head coach Abby Brethauer was thrilled to recruit Herendeen, and she thinks it was a good decision for him too.
"Training for Rio and trying to make the team it makes more sense," she says. "I think he saw the success I had with some of my previous swimmers, and having the job, and being able to live on campus and being able to work with the team was everything he needed in one place, which was nice."
Competitive swimmers at UMW are also happy to have this exceptional coach who uses what’s left of his left leg and the right to achieve a powerful breast stroke. We spoke with Connor Nye, Kristina Currie, Kenyon Huber-Wilker and Vance Solseth.
"His story’s incredible. It’s just amazing to see what he’s accomplished. When I see him dive in the pool and swim, I’m just amazed every time. He’s faster than me!"
"It’s fun to see him in the water and see how much he loves it, and when you see someone who enjoys it that much, the complaint you were thinking about just dies."
"He’s in the water practicing with us, and I’m out there racing, trying to beat him every day. He says, ‘You got beaten by a one-legged guy!’ He’s pushing me. I’m pushing him right back."
"I’ve had a different assistant coach all four years that I’ve been here, and he is definitely my favorite one. He’s always involved. He’s communicating with you throughout the practice, and it’s good to hear someone say, ‘You got this!' He knows when I’m not trying as hard as I should be, and he gets on me for that, and that’s good."
Herendeen doesn’t hesitate to talk with them about his experience – hoping it will motivate them to swim their best.