You'd think that such a hard-nosed, street-tough New Yorker would be a cab driver or deli owner -- certainly not a nationally renowned collegiate swimmer. But Dan DeMarco will not be driving a taxi down 5th Ave. nor handing out sandwiches on 42nd street this afternoon. Instead, he will be swimming with his Virginia (2-0 men's, 2-0 women's) teammates against Penn State (0-1, 0-1) in State College at 2 p.m.
DeMarco, who was victorious in the 1000-meter freestyle last weekend against Duke, ranks third all-time at Virginia in that event and the 1650-meter free. In addition to his feats in the pool, DeMarco is known among his teammates and coaches as a hard worker who embodies the true spirit of his native New York.
"Dan makes sure that his voice is heard," junior Luke Anderson said. "Though probably stemming from his hometown New Yorkness, his no-nonsense attitude gets guys motivated to swim fast in practice as well as meets. His impact is always felt, as that impact is one of brutal toughness no matter what the situation presented may be."
Virginia coach Mark Bernardino expects DeMarco to repeat as an All-American this year, to finish in the top 10 nationally in the mile, and to score as a consolation finalist in the 500-meter free. He considers DeMarco a strong leader and good example for his teammates.
"To me, his most defining characteristic is his work ethic," Bernardino said. "He's probably not the single most talented swimmer in the pool, but he is certainly one of the premiere athletes when it comes time to putting forth an incredible effort on a daily basis. He'll get down and get dirty, and he's the guy who will do the hardest work that needs to be done. Others see that."
DeMarco has made an impact on the national scene ever since he arrived in Charlottesville in 1999. He finished 18th in the 1500-meter free in his freshman year and earned a fourth-place finish in that event at the 2001 Summer Nationals.
Two weeks ago, competing as a member of the U.S. Open Water National team, DeMarco won the Cayman Island 5K open water race. He finished with a time of 58:20 -- more than a minute faster than the runner-up.
"It was a lot of fun," DeMarco said. "It's a totally different thing from swimming in a pool. First of all, it's a lot longer and second of all, there's no flip turns and you don't really know where you're going."
DeMarco and his teammates will face the toughest challenge of the season when they jump in the pool with the Nittany Lions this afternoon. Bernardino called Penn State "certainly the best team" on Virginia's schedule thus far.
"Both teams should split evenly in terms of events won, so the depth underneath is a critical component," Bernardino said. "The second, third and fourth places finishes in this event will be huge in this meet."
Bernardino also said the freestyle races will be critical for both the men and the women, and that includes DeMarco's 1000-meter and 1650-meter free events. So is there any chance DeMarco won't be able to step up to the challenge?
Fuhgeddabout it.
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