Mundelein's Falconer meets the challenge

Some swimmers shrink from pressure. That has never made much sense to Mundelein senior Pat Falconer.

For Falconer, the rush of the big meet is why you train so hard. One of his favorite parts of high school swimming is anchoring the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.

"I like all the excitement," he said. "It's fun for me."

Falconer is energized by Mundelein's chances in both relays. Led by Falconer and junior Will Davidson, the school record of 3:12.40 in the 400-freestyle relay might be in play.

"We're eying the record," he said.

Falconer recently signed an NCAA Letter of Intent with Michigan State. His older sister, Sarah, already swims for the Spartans.

"She kept pushing me toward Michigan State," Falconer said with a smile. "I had already been there a couple of times, and I really liked the team. It felt a lot like my high school team."

While Falconer is a known quantity in state swimming circles, he made some changes in the offseason. He hit the weight room and added 20 pounds to his now 6-foot-2, 198-pound frame.

The weight work already has made a difference.

"I can feel myself getting stronger," Falconer said.

In addition, Falconer is mixing up his events. As a junior, he placed in the top ten at the state meet in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. This season, he will focus on the 200- and 500-yard freestyle.

Falconer already holds the school record in the 500 freestyle (4:32.55). He also has the top mark in the 200 freestyle (1:40.47). His ability to swim a variety of distances is part of what makes him so valuable to Michigan State.

"When he swims, he's really powerful and he grinds out races," coach Rahul Sethna said. "He'll stay with you and catch you little by little. The 500 is a really good event for him."

Falconer and Lake Forest senior Mitch Stoehr (Stanford) should have some memorable duals in the 500 freestyle.

"It's always a fun competition between us," Falconer said. "We bring out the best in each other."

Falconer is makint it a pont to focus more on race strategy.

"He's so much smarter," Sethna said. "He's learned to manage races better."

Sethna has coached plenty of elite swimmers at Mundelein. What stands out the most about Falconer is how much he lives for the big situation.

"He has such a desire to race," Sethna said. "He relishes the opportunity to anchor a relay and come from behind in a pressure situation. He uses his emotion to pull out some amazing swims."

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