Zac Lipsitz and CA Rippin' It Up! Columbia Star Article

Hammond swimmer Zac Lipsitz excels in the pool and the classroom. Photo Contributed by Maria Lipsitz Eight times a week, rain or shine, chilly or steamy, sometimes early and sometimes late, Zac Lipsitz jumps into the pool to swim about four miles with his fellow Carolina Aquatics’ teammates —not because he has to, but because he wants to.

When it comes to swimming, Lipsitz, a sophomore honor student at Hammond School, has big dreams, and according to his coaches, he is well on his way to making them come true. Although he swims freestyle and butterfly, his specialty is backstroke, and his hard work in the pool this past season has paid off.

He was the SCISA state champion in the 100- backstroke with a personal best of 55.95 and was named SCISA Swimmer of The Year last week. His goal next year is to break the SCISA record of 53.70, a benchmark that will come with a lot of hard work.

Carolina Aquatics head coach Tripp Montgomery, who has been training Lipsitz for four years in the competitive swimming program, said the 16-year-old swimmer has “demonstrated outstanding qualities of perseverance and hard work that has transferred over to society.

“Zac is one of the first people who asked me to sit down and have a goals’ meeting,” Montgomery said. “He has taken those goals seriously, and we are seeing a real difference in him in the pool as he strives to meet them.”

Montgomery said as swimmers age, they encounter a higher and higher level of competition, and it becomes increasingly difficult to rise to those new challenges. Often it’s easier to walk away than continuing that ongoing battle that often requires them to routinely swim up to 50,000 yards a week. But Montgomery says that’s not Zac.

“He’s on par with a group of real competitors, and he answers the call,” Montgomery said. “Every time we ask him to take on a new goal, it’s ‘yes, sir,’ and he goes out and does it. He hasn’t let us down one time.”

Lipsitz said he’s well aware of the social, intellectual, and physical sacrifices that must be made if one wants to swim on the collegiate level—including attending early morning workout sessions, keeping his grades on par with Ivy League standards, and skipping weekend outings with friends in lieu of traveling all over the Southeast for swim meets. It’s the love of the sport that keeps him focused.

“There are a lot of times I don’t want to go to practice, but then I do a couple of warm-up laps, and I’m glad I am there,” he said. “It’s become such a big part of my life. I really don’t know what I’d do without it.”

Montgomery said Lipsitz’ dedication has not gone unnoticed by D-1 schools.

“Zac is on track to swim at junior nationals and is already on the radar of several colleges,” Montgomery said. “Duke, Princeton, Harvard, Yale... These are the calibre of colleges where I can see Zac swimming and excelling in the athletic and academic area.”