USD Magazine Summer 2013

THE L I FE AQUAT I C Swimmer Keenan Lineback goes the distance [ s u b m e r s i o n ]

seen before. The guys are grateful to the commitments of those who have gone before, the commit- ment of the university and the commitment of Mr. Fowler. It’s raised the intensity, and I know everyone can’t wait to get down here every day, myself included.”

Q:

How has your coaching philosophy changed

over 15 years?

“My approach has changed, is changing and will continue to change. I mean, you have to in order to get the most out of your players. There’s a real mental toughness that needs to be devel- oped in baseball, you have to deal with the daily grind. I want my players to feel like they’re learning something new every day. That’s not just important in baseball, that’s important in everything.” country head straight to pro ball from high school. How do you convince a potential recruit that USD is the place they need to be? “That one’s easy: the USD cam- pus and the USD experience. I feel like it ranks right up there with any school in the world. The quality of education, the campus life, the student experi- ence, the location. That’s what makes it such a strong choice.” any signs of slowing down. Have you given any thought to where you see yourself 15 years from now? “Wherever I’ll be, I’ll be there because God has a plan for me, and I know it’ll be absolutely amazing. But I’m focused on the here and now, and what’s hap- pening right now is trying to bring these guys together into the team I know they can be.” Q: Q: A lot of the best young baseball players in the 15 years and 500 wins, and you’re not showing

by Mike Sauer

I

t’s a bright and breezy early spring afternoon by the pool at the USD Sports Center, and Torero swimming sensation Keen- an Lineback looks for all the world like a fish out of water. She’s attempting to settle into a poolside chair and discuss her accomplishments over the 2012- 13 swim season, but is clearly struggling to get comfortable. She rocks from side to side and finally shimmies into an accept- able sitting position, but her gaze never leaves the placid waters just steps away. “You’d think I’d be sick of it by now, with all the time I spend in it,” Lineback says with a wry smile. “It’s funny; sometimes I feel more com- fortable in there than I do on land.” It’s the same pool where the sophomore and reigning Female Torero Athlete of the Year has

age of 4. Just a few years later, she was competing in swimmeets across the southeast, and would soon follow her older brother, Hunter, into the surf near their summer home in Myrtle Beach. It didn’t take long for Lineback to catch the surfing bug, and by her teen years she had become one of the top amateur female surfers in the country. She is quick to cred- it surfing for helping her build the strength and stroke power neces- sary to compete at the highest lev- els of intercollegiate swimming. “I think surfing has definite- ly helped my swimming, and vice versa,” she says. “Right now, I’m focused on the swimming side of things a bit more, as I have a lot of goals I’d like to reach while I’m here at USD, like qualifying for the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships in the 400 IM.”

spent countless hours refining the strokes that propelled her to becoming the first Torero to win a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference title in five years. This past February at the MPSF championships in Los Angeles, she earned top honors in the 400 indi- vidual medley (IM) with a time of 4:17.42, and posted a personal and school-best 16:39.04 on her way to victory in the 1650 freestyle event. From the sound of things, she owes her success to a simple strat- egy: steady as she goes. “My entire life, coaches have taught me to hit the same lap time, every time. I just try to be as efficient as I can with my stroke; going out too fast will kill you in distance events.” Lineback’s love affair with all things aquatic began when she had her first swimming lesson near her home in Conway, S.C., at the

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