Published: June 14, 2008 11:44 pm            

CLARK COUNTY COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Ben Hesen

Ben Hesen had a senior year to remember at Indiana University.

The Hoosier swimmer was the star of the Big Ten Championships and capped off his final collegiate season by winning a coveted national championship.

That success prompted The Evening News to name Hesen its first-ever Clark County College Athlete of the Year.

“I’m honored and humbled by it,” the former Jeffersonville High School standout said about the honor. “I really appreciate it. I think it’s awesome. Some people don’t get the recognition they deserve, and I sometimes get more than I deserve.”

Hesen put on a dominating performance at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., Feb. 28-March 1. He won four events — the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, the 100 butterfly and the 200 medley relay — and finished second in the 200 freestyle and the 400 medley relay. In the 200 backstroke, he snapped the school record with a time of 1:40.85.

Hesen received two huge accolades at the conference meet. He won the Swimmer of the Championship award and was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Year.

One month later in Federal Way, Wash., Hesen claimed his first national title at the NCAA Championships. He won the 100 backstroke by shattering the school record with a time of 44.72 seconds. That time was also the second-fastest in NCAA history.

The national championship was not only special to Hesen, but to the people who means the most to him.

“It meant a whole lot,” Hesen said. “It meant a lot to my coaches and my teammates. But most of all, it meant a lot to my family and closest friends. We all have stayed pretty close.”

Along with the 100 backstroke title, Hesen received All-American honors in six events at the NCAA Championships, which were the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays.

Hesen will face the biggest challenge in his swimming career this summer. He will try to make the United States Olympic team at the Olympic Trials June 29-July 5 in Omaha, Neb. Hesen will compete in the 100 backstroke and must finish in the top two in the final to make the team.

“I’m looking at the challenge ahead as one of the biggest challenges in the world,” Hesen said. “It’s the ultimate challenge. If you make the Olympic team, you go down as one of the best in the world and one of the best in history.”

In preparing for the Olympic Trials, he went on a training trip down to Mexico from May 10-June 1. Also, Hesen finished fourth in the 100 backstroke in the Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational last weekend at the Qwest Center in Omaha, which is the site of the Olympic Trials.

“I feel confident with the training I did,” Hesen said. “I went down to Mexico and did some good training down there. Now, I’m resting and getting ready.”

Hesen said he will miss a lot of things about IU.

“I’ll miss driving around town and doing the things I like to do (in Bloomington),” Hesen said. “I made some good friends on the team, and you get used to seeing them every day.”



HESEN’S 2007-08 ACCOLADES

• 100-yard backstroke NCAA champion

• Four Big Ten titles (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay)

• Swimmer of the Championship at the Big Ten Championships

• Big Ten Swimmer of the Year

• All-American honors in six events (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay)

        

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