University of Delaware Athletics
Kevin Basch Goes The Distance For The Blue Hens
1/15/2020 3:45:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
66 laps. 1650 yards. Over 15 straight minutes.
The numbers that measure what it takes to swim the mile underscore what a daunting task it is. But for Delaware senior Kevin Basch, the key to success in such a mentally and physically challenging event is simple.
"Honestly, I kind of just take it one lap at a time," Basch said. "Trying to focus on myself, try to focus on the little details."
The Pottstown, Pa., native didn't always view himself as a distance swimmer; growing up he wanted to swim the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle, which are shorter and a little more glamorous events. But attending Pottsgrove High School, the small team needed Basch to compete in distance events like the 500-yard freestyle. Combined with what Delaware head coach Pablo Marmolejo describes as an "innate talent", Basch quickly found a new identity as a swimmer.
"I was forced into it on accident and I just fell in love with it because I was so good at it," Basch said.
"I think you have to enjoy the solitude of what it is," Marmolejo said of what it takes to be a successful distance swimmer. "The pain is a not a high pain, but it's a very constant pain, so you've got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time."
The solitude of fighting through the pain of distance events is where Basch has excelled in his collegiate career. As a sophomore in 2018, he took home the silver medal in the mile at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. The conference meet is where a year's worth of training culminates, and Basch is primed to have a strong showing at CAAs in his final collegiate season.
So far through the 2019-20 season, Basch has finished in the top 5 in every event 500 yards or longer, and in the top 2 in every 1000 and 1650.
Kevin Basch 2019-20 Distance Results
Oct. 5 vs. George Mason: 1000-yard freestyle – 2nd
500-yard freestyle – 2nd
Oct. 19 vs. UMBC and Johns Hopkins: 1000-yard freestyle – 2nd
500-yard freestyle – 4th
Nov. 2-3 at CAA Pod Meet: 1650-yard freestyle – 2nd
500-yard freestyle – 2nd
Nov. 9 vs. La Salle and Rider: 1000-yard freestyle – 1st
500-yard freestyle – 1st
Nov. 22-24 at Magnus Cup: 500-yard freestyle – 5th
1650-yard freestyle – 1st
Jan. 11 vs. Drexel: 1000-yard freestyle – 1st
500-yard freestyle – 1st
Basch has seen a lot of coaching turnover in his four years at Delaware; Marmolejo is his third different coach. In his second year at the helm of the Blue Hens, Marmolejo is pushing the culture of Delaware swimming & diving toward a more competitive mindset. Basch, who is soft-spoken but carries a calm confidence, has been the ideal face of the program as it transitions to a new era.
"I think he got this program through a lot of tough times," Marmolejo said.
Especially for the Blue Hens' distance swimmers, Basch has set the example to follow.
"He's taking more of a role within that smaller setting of his distance group and really showing those kids the ropes of how to practice. How to manage swimming distance events literally every single meet," Marmolejo said. "But you can see that our group has gotten better at dual meets as the season goes by and I think he's a big part of that."
The new competitive culture has tapped into Basch's full potential as a swimmer. As the Blue Hens work towards the 2020 CAA Championships, the coaching staff isn't exactly sure what Basch's ceiling is. They just know it's going to be something special.
"We really don't know because I think he is incredibly talented, where he could be, not just conference champion, but conference record-holder and putting up a time that could last a long time," Marmolejo said. "I think it's all boiling down to himself and how much he wants it."
Basch, who is also completing a social media marketing internship during the winter session, will swim his final home meet at Rawstrom Natatorium Friday, Jan. 17 against St. Francis Brooklyn, then three more dual meets on the road before the CAA Championships.
His legacy at Delaware will be one of leadership and an appreciation for the sport of swimming and the friendships it fosters, but he'll also have the opportunity to put his name in the record books.
"It's coming down to that home stretch and I'm really thinking about how I can go out with a bang," Basch said.
"You've got to see him put that cap and goggles on and see him swim to really understand who he is," Marmolejo said. "At the end of the day he's a racer, and a pure racer. When he dives in to his last three events ever, I think he'll have what it takes to make a run for it."Â
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The numbers that measure what it takes to swim the mile underscore what a daunting task it is. But for Delaware senior Kevin Basch, the key to success in such a mentally and physically challenging event is simple.
"Honestly, I kind of just take it one lap at a time," Basch said. "Trying to focus on myself, try to focus on the little details."
The Pottstown, Pa., native didn't always view himself as a distance swimmer; growing up he wanted to swim the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle, which are shorter and a little more glamorous events. But attending Pottsgrove High School, the small team needed Basch to compete in distance events like the 500-yard freestyle. Combined with what Delaware head coach Pablo Marmolejo describes as an "innate talent", Basch quickly found a new identity as a swimmer.
"I was forced into it on accident and I just fell in love with it because I was so good at it," Basch said.
"I think you have to enjoy the solitude of what it is," Marmolejo said of what it takes to be a successful distance swimmer. "The pain is a not a high pain, but it's a very constant pain, so you've got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable all the time."
The solitude of fighting through the pain of distance events is where Basch has excelled in his collegiate career. As a sophomore in 2018, he took home the silver medal in the mile at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. The conference meet is where a year's worth of training culminates, and Basch is primed to have a strong showing at CAAs in his final collegiate season.
So far through the 2019-20 season, Basch has finished in the top 5 in every event 500 yards or longer, and in the top 2 in every 1000 and 1650.
Kevin Basch 2019-20 Distance Results
Oct. 5 vs. George Mason: 1000-yard freestyle – 2nd
500-yard freestyle – 2nd
Oct. 19 vs. UMBC and Johns Hopkins: 1000-yard freestyle – 2nd
500-yard freestyle – 4th
Nov. 2-3 at CAA Pod Meet: 1650-yard freestyle – 2nd
500-yard freestyle – 2nd
Nov. 9 vs. La Salle and Rider: 1000-yard freestyle – 1st
500-yard freestyle – 1st
Nov. 22-24 at Magnus Cup: 500-yard freestyle – 5th
1650-yard freestyle – 1st
Jan. 11 vs. Drexel: 1000-yard freestyle – 1st
500-yard freestyle – 1st
Basch has seen a lot of coaching turnover in his four years at Delaware; Marmolejo is his third different coach. In his second year at the helm of the Blue Hens, Marmolejo is pushing the culture of Delaware swimming & diving toward a more competitive mindset. Basch, who is soft-spoken but carries a calm confidence, has been the ideal face of the program as it transitions to a new era.
"I think he got this program through a lot of tough times," Marmolejo said.
Especially for the Blue Hens' distance swimmers, Basch has set the example to follow.
"He's taking more of a role within that smaller setting of his distance group and really showing those kids the ropes of how to practice. How to manage swimming distance events literally every single meet," Marmolejo said. "But you can see that our group has gotten better at dual meets as the season goes by and I think he's a big part of that."
The new competitive culture has tapped into Basch's full potential as a swimmer. As the Blue Hens work towards the 2020 CAA Championships, the coaching staff isn't exactly sure what Basch's ceiling is. They just know it's going to be something special.
"We really don't know because I think he is incredibly talented, where he could be, not just conference champion, but conference record-holder and putting up a time that could last a long time," Marmolejo said. "I think it's all boiling down to himself and how much he wants it."
Basch, who is also completing a social media marketing internship during the winter session, will swim his final home meet at Rawstrom Natatorium Friday, Jan. 17 against St. Francis Brooklyn, then three more dual meets on the road before the CAA Championships.
His legacy at Delaware will be one of leadership and an appreciation for the sport of swimming and the friendships it fosters, but he'll also have the opportunity to put his name in the record books.
"It's coming down to that home stretch and I'm really thinking about how I can go out with a bang," Basch said.
"You've got to see him put that cap and goggles on and see him swim to really understand who he is," Marmolejo said. "At the end of the day he's a racer, and a pure racer. When he dives in to his last three events ever, I think he'll have what it takes to make a run for it."Â
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