The similarities between Sweden and Syracuse start – and stop – with snow.

For Sweden native and senior Syracuse swimmer Gustavo Kertzscher, however, it was not boots and scarves that drew him to SU, but rather books and swimsuits.

It’s not hard to find Kertzscher – the challenge is finding him unoccupied.

Between the classroom and the swimming pool, the 23-year-old is often too busy to witness college beyond the lanes and library.

Yesterday, the Orange competed in the Nike Cup in Chapel Hill, N.C.

‘I sacrifice a lot,’ Kertzscher said. ‘There are a lot of things I don’t do as much as other people do. … I have a very unsocial life. I’ve been taking harder classes and I’ve been very focused.’

The claim about his social life is not as much a testament to Kertzscher’s personality as it is to his commitment and drive. Kertzscher finds his share of fun between the lanes. The backstroker competed in the Big East Championships during each of his three seasons for the Orange. Swimming nationally in his native land, Kertzscher finished fourth in the Swedish Nationals at the 200-yard backstroke.

‘I kept doing better and better in Nationals,’ Kertzscher said. ‘I was five seconds (off the Olympic time).’

Beyond his athletic achievements, Kertzscher has earned his way onto the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every semester at Syracuse and was named a Big East Academic All-Star each season.

‘He’s so steady and focused,’ SU head coach Lou Walker said. ‘He’s a very serious student. He’s a quiet guy who comes in, goes about his business and is not demonstrative.’

‘Coming here to get an education and compete shows all his determination,’ said senior teammate Mike Anstrom, Kertzscher’s roommate during his freshman and sophomore years. ‘In the pool, he works hard and in the classroom he works hard. He’s always willing to push himself.

‘He has two distinct styles. His competitive nature is not there when we joke around with him, but when he’s in the pool and in the classroom, it really shows up.’

While Anstrom admits there are times of cultural differences, he also mentioned occasions when Kertzscher’s Swedish background proves beneficial.

‘(Kertzscher) is able to understand things in two languages,’ Anstrom said. ‘If he can’t understand something in English, he’ll think about it in Swedish and get it like that.’

Growing up in Sweden, Kertzscher was an avid swimmer and an accomplished student. When he graduated high school five years ago, Kertzscher took a year off to work on his swimming and e-mailed coaches in the United States to gauge interest. Syracuse responded positively and Kertzscher was impressed enough with Syracuse to cross the ocean.

The year between high school and Syracuse gave Kertzscher time to improve his swimming. It also spotted him a year on his teammates. Though he goes by the moniker ‘Gus,’ teammates often call him ‘Grandpa’ in regard to his age and brains.

‘He’s very knowledgeable,’ Anstrom said. ‘He’s the oldest guy in the group. We joke around that he’s really from Jersey and has two kids. But he’s the grandpa of the group – we can go to him for anything.’

‘I’m calmer,’ Kertzscher said. ‘Since I’m a little older than most of the other swimmers, I’m more aware and focused on my future after college.’

In typical Kertzscher fashion, he has a plan for that as well. The engineering physics major wants to pursue a doctorate in physics, considering graduate schools at the University of Chicago, Duke, McGill and Columbia.

While ambitious, the applications are realistic considering Kertzscher’s nature.

‘I’m the kind of guy who if I don’t have enough time to work on something, I won’t do it at all,’ Kertzscher said. ‘And I’m very focused on doing what’s necessary for the next level.’

Published on November 18, 2004 at 12:00 pm