Arizona swimmers Justin Wright and Nick Thorne don’t exactly look like teammates.
Thorne is 6 feet 3 inches tall; Wright is 5-7. Thorne is a type-A personality; Wright is the epitome of California cool. Thorne listens to rock, rap and hip-hop before races; Wright likes country. Thorne is a generalist, capable of competing in — and winning — multiple events and swimming multiple strokes. Wright focuses on the butterfly.
The two UA captains have a shared goal this week: shine at the NCAA men’s swimming and diving championships, which started Wednesday and run through the weekend in Minneapolis. Thorne and Wright are two of 10 Wildcats competing.
Wright and Thorne have each made their marks on UA swimming, something that isn’t easy to do given the history of the program.
Wright took second at the Pac-12 Championships in the 200-yard butterfly, and holds the UA record in that event (1:40.57), set at the Texas Invitational in December. He’ll compete in the 200 fly and 100 fly at NCAAs.
Thorne will compete in four individual events and two relays. He holds the second-best time in UA history for the 400 individual medley (3:31.47).
“They are our two best male swimmers,” UA assistant coach Clif Robbins said. “When the other athletes see them trusting their training and trusting their instincts in races it instills confidence in the youngsters. They lead by example and are vocal during workouts.
“And even when they are out of breath, they yell ‘leave it in the pool’ to get the best out of their teammates. They talk trash and goad each other to get to the next level in every set. They push each other further and get their teammates into it.
“Justin is calm, cool and collected and a fierce competitor. Nick was a walk-on and is one of the best 400 IM swimmers in the country. From Day 1 he’s been out to say, ‘I belong here.’ It’s been a really special journey.”
Wright prides himself on being present while in the pool. But his focus has been tested. In January 2016, Wright’s father, Dowain, drowned after suffering a heart attack in the pool during a masters swim practice.
Dowain Wright, a rheumatologist in the Fresno, California area, was 56.
Justin Wright, then a UA sophomore, initially found solace in his teammates — and in the pool.
“Right off the bat, the first thing I did when I heard the news was go over to some teammates’ house,” he said. “I find comfort in having so much family here. (A) dual meet was just a week after and a lot of people said, ‘What are you doing going to a swim meet? It’s a dual meet; it doesn’t matter. You should be at home with family.’
“My response, straight up, was ‘I am with my family; this is it. This is what I’ve got and there is no place I’m going to feel more comfortable than with my team out on the pool deck.’”
Few teammates feel more like family than Thorne. The two seniors compete with each other daily while trying to keep things loose.
“Justin and I have a good back-and-forth of joking around and keeping it a little lighter so you’re not so focused on pain. You are mostly laughing it off and going, ‘Well, if my friend is joking around about paces he’s hitting, you know I have no excuse, I should be right up there with him,’” Thorne said. “That’s what makes it fun and for you to be able to do that all four years, you need that.”
It’s helped Thorne, who was so overcome by nerves as an underclassman that he was “almost puking behind the blocks.”
Now, he says, he can joke with his teammates to cut the tension.
“This takes a lot of pressure off,” he said. “You still have a lot of adrenaline (left), which helps during the race.”
Thorne and Wright know what to expect at the NCAAs. Thorne is looking to finish in the top eight in the 400 IM, a feat that would earn him All-America honors. It would be a good way to go out for Thorne, who plans to return home to Oregon rather than pursue a pro career.
Wright plans to stick with swimming, and will be staying in Tucson to train with his coaches and teammates.
His No. 1 goal this week? to touch the wall first.
“It’s going to be tough,” Wright said. “But this year I think I’ve finally earned the opportunity to say I have a chance at it, which is really cool.”
