February 11, 1999

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Success is a relative term for sophomore swimmer John Munley.

"You can lose and still be successful. As long as you do your best, you can walk away happy," Munley said.

Munley's life has revolved around the pool since the age of six. In high school, he earned all-county honors twice, all-conference selection three times and all-state as a senior. Now he is a force for the Spartans in the freestyle events.

"He has made a name for himself that people around the conference know who he is - all the coaches know who he is," said head coach Richard Bader.

That name results from long practices that have molded him into a top-rate national athlete. That work has produced a string of victories in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay.

Munley has led the Spartans this season as they prepare for the Big Ten Championship Feb. 25-27. He has been at his best in the 200 freestyle, with nine first-place finishes and five second-place finishes. His lifetime best is 1:38.35; at MSU it's 1:38.38. Most recently, he provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:39.12.

"He has made a statement by how he has improved. We knew he had talent. He came in and worked real hard last year," said Bader.

Last summer was a prime example. Munley qualified for the senior nationals. He stayed at MSU to continue practicing despite a strained shoulder and later a broken toe.

Munley attended the senior nationals with the idea "to watch some of the best people in the world swim." He was not expecting to achieve his greatest accomplishment, finishing 19th in the 200-meter freestyle.

"He got there and since he was hurt, he didn't feel some of the pressure athletes put on themselves and realized that anyone can make it happen. He was aggressive, relaxed and just had fun," said Bader.

Now he is training to accomplish his goal of earning a spot at the Olympic Trials. Munley will attempt to qualify at the senior nationals this summer.

For all his success, Munley has seen his share of mishaps in the pool.

"As a sophomore in high school, I was competing in the 800 freestyle relay in the first meet of our season. The kid before me miscounted laps, so when I jumped in, he turned over and kept going. He finally realized it and got out," Munley said.

Munley remembers another occurrence: "In the same pool, I miscounted in the 200 freestyle. I stopped after only going 150, but I realized my mistake in time to win the race."

Munley's interests in the pool extends beyond swimming. At Portage Central High School, he helped establish a water polo club.

"I helped a senior start the team when I was a sophomore. He graduated and I took over. We would just show up for games without any practicing and ended up going to regionals," Munley said. For all his work with water polo, swimming remained his primary interest. It was in high school that Munley acquired a set of values from his coaches that helped him establish his reputation as a strong swimmer.

"They taught me that respect was something you had to earn - that you can't just walk in and say respect me," Munley said.

Munley has earned this respect and now waits to see what the future entails for him.

"The greatest athletes are the ones who put in the time, love the daily grind and enjoy the sport," Bader said. "He's on the brinkhe can either be a champion or turn out to be a good swimmer."

Munley's dedication to work ethic will prove to lead him to infinite possibilities of success in the future.

by Courtney Welch, MSU Sports Information Student Assistant