Junior swimmer in starring role after slow start

Some athletes begin swimming when they are young, competing and improving as they grow. Through years of hard work and practice, some become good and some become great. Others have natural talent and athletic ability that goes untapped until it explodes in a display of broken records and conference honors.\nJunior Susan Woessner is the latter.\nGrowing up, she swam with a summer club and during high school. But she exploded onto the swimming scene when she joined the YMCA club team in her native Ohio.\n"Swimming was always what I liked to do the most, but I didn't really start to improve until I started swimming with the club team," Woessner said.\nWhen she joined the YMCA team, she began a more aggressive practice regime than her high school team offered, helping her improve, she said. Freshman Sarah Fiden was one of Woessner's club teammates in Ohio.\n"Susan's drop in time and success in the pool inspired so many people on our club team," Fiden said. "She is proof that you don't have to swim year-round from age 8, and you can still be strong in college."\nWoessner walked onto IU's swim team her freshman year as a freestyle sprinter, not sure what to expect. She made it her goal to continue to improve and help the team as much as she could. During the team's winter break training camp last season, she found a new event -- the 100-yard backstroke.\n"At the end of the training trip, we had a meet," Woessner said. "You could pick whatever events you wanted, and I chose the 100 back because I swam it a little bit in high school."\nHer first times in this event hovered around one minute. Three months later at the Big Ten Championships, she placed fourth overall, breaking the school record with a time of 55.8 seconds. \nCoach Dorsey Tierney said Woessner's achievements last year have carried over to this season.\n"A little bit of success can go a long way," Tierney said. "Last year, Susan experienced competing and succeeding at a much higher level in swimming. It is a feeling that is addictive.\n"She made a decision to maximize her opportunities in the sport of swimming, and she has maintained a consistent work ethic and dedication throughout."\nThis season, Woessner continues to succeed. At the Purdue dual meet in West Lafayette, she broke her own record in 100 back -- also shattering the Lambert Pool record -- and was named co-Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for the first time. \nShe said the team atmosphere this year has been beneficial to her success.\n"Everyone just trains harder, and I think the level that we train at helps everyone succeed at a high level," Woessner said. "It's a very cohesive unit."\nShe also is an standout student. This semester, she received the Alpha Beta award, given to the individual that has the highest GPA on the team. She said she hopes to continue to improve in swimming and plans to stay in Bloomington to continue her training after graduation next summer. \nShe finished in the top 20 at the Olympic Trials last year and said it would be nice to compete against the nation's best again in the 2004 trials. \nTierney said she only sees Woessner getting better.\n"Susan has the ability to elevate her level of performance to provide the team a needed boost," she said. "She will continue to mature in the sport as she gains and develops racing experience"