Eric Friese competing in the 100 fly in Florida's final home dual against Auburn on Jan. 25.
Friese's Cool Journey Continues
Monday, February 17, 2020 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Chris Harry
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By: By Ryan Sosic / UAA Communications
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Eric Friese was at home in Potsdam, Germany last April, stretched out in his bed as he typed out what seemed, at the time, like a shot in the dark as he searched for the next place to make the next big splash in his swimming career.
His mom, Katja Friese, told him to craft an email she thought would help accomplish his goal of taking his swimming career to the next level. She wasn't sure to whom he should reach out or how many emails he should send, but she wanted him to find his home for the next four years.
And they both knew the best opportunity to excel was at an American university.
When asked, Friese didn't really have a clue which universities in American he wanted to attend, but one kept popping to mind: Florida. Even across the Atlantic Ocean, he was aware of the successful pipeline of swimmers that came through the O'Connell Center Natatorium, with All-America and Olympic gold medalists like Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Lochte sticking out. So Friese made the decision to send the email to UF second-year coach Anthony Nesty. He closed his laptop, and went on with his day.
Five or six hours later, he had a response from Nesty.
Things moved quickly, as associate head coach Stephen Jungbluth reached out in the next few days to take the lead on the recruitment. Then, in Friese's own words, "everything happened"
Friese arrived on campus in August, just four months after his initial contact with the UF staff, without ever setting foot on campus prior to becoming a Gator.
"The first day I got here was the first time I saw everything. It was because my recruiting process started so late," Friese said. "I kind of went in blind. I had an expectation of what it would be like because I know German universities, but it was way different. I'm lucky that I got here."
His presence and impact was felt immediately across the program by winning six individual events and being a member of six winning relays throughout Florida's 7-2 regular season. He opened eyes league-wide as well, taking home a pair of Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week accolades in his first season.
Now, with a full regular season behind him, it seems the sky is the limit for Friese and the Gators, and his unheralded journey to Gainesville is to thank for that.
MEETING THE WATER
Throughout Friese's early years, he would go on annual vacations with his family. From the age of six, Friese always found himself in the water with his Grandpa. One problem: He didn't know how to swim.
A young Friese during one of his earliest days of swimming.
The vacation the family took when he was eight changed everything.
Off went the floaties.
"Eric always wanted to be the first one to learn swimming, even though when he started as the last one," Katja recalled.
There was no doubt in Katja's mind that if Eric brought the same fire and passion to the water as did on the soccer field, he would excel.
"When he did start to swim, he was always the smallest and weakest, but he always fought and worked hard to become better and faster than the rest," Katja said. "He was always ambitious. In soccer practice, when he would only score one goal, he would get very angry because he didn't score more."
Ultimately, right before high school, Friese would make the decision to give up soccer and concentrate solely on swimming, as he dove into the Elite School of Sport Friedrich Ludwig Jahn the following year.
HEAD START
His high school years were much different than his American teammates. Friese attended one of the few "sport high schools" in Germany, which laid out a special program for high level athletes that included six years of schooling and a very similar training regime that could be comparable to most NCAA swimming programs. Only the most elite, top-level athletes were afforded such opportunities.
"I had morning practices before school and stuff like that already. The school supported everything," Friese said. "Right now, what we're doing [at UF], I'm pretty much used to this. I know guys on the team that have had nothing like this before. Weights, everything. Everything is new to them. I'm used to it."
Friese during his time with the German National team.
Older than most of his Gator classmates, Friese doesn't view his extra two years as a disadvantage, but as something that has only accelerated his skills.
"The thing is that I'm older. I don't think that's bad," Friese said. "School, I expected it to be harder. So, it's definitely not easy, but I thought it would be harder to understand everything. The transition has been smoother than expected. I think I had an advantage because I was always good with English in school my whole life. I learned it in second or third grade."
In addition to swimming at his high school, Friese joined Olympic medalist Jörg Hoffmann's club team in 2016 to really hone his skills.
For Hoffman's club, Friese showcased his speed and became an intricate part of the program, doing whatever the team needed through his character and team spirit. He also showed right away his willingness and push to focus on just sprinting, compared to endurance training.
Friese credits Hoffman for welcoming him to his club with open arms from an early age.
"When I was in a bad situation with my old coach, [Hoffman] was the one that brought me in as the youngest, by far, in his group and believed in me," Friese stated. "I will always be thankful that he started to coach me, and he helped me to become the person I am today."
AT HOME FAR AWAY
Oh, you're going to Florida? You're going to die. You're going to die. It's going to be so hard.
That was the heckling that Friese endured throughout his final months home while competing for the German national team.
Friese found himself underperforming as his times weren't up to his standards during his final year before college. Already hearing about how difficult the Gator training program was, the underwhelming performances forced him to second-guess if he would, in fact, survive.
"My times were pretty bad and I don't know why," Friese said. "I think I did put in the same amount of effort and it didn't work out at all. The whole year was weird. I don't know. There were moments after I committed to Florida and I had big expectations, and in Germany they'd say, 'Oh, he's going to the Gators,' and then I would swim those really bad times, you begin to second-guess yourself."
Once in Gainesville, Friese started feeling like himself again, with a lot of credit due to Nesty and Jungbluth, the leaders of a Gator men's swimming program that has won seven straight conference titles.
Jungbluth (left) and Nesty (right) have been instrumental leaders for UF's swimming program.
Both coaches have been instrumental in the development of Olympians like Dressel and Lochte, a duo that Friese remembers watching compete while growing up.
"In 2017, when Caeleb won all those medals, I was like this guy really has all my sprint events. He's on the top and he's at Florida so if I could go to Florida, that'd be amazing," Friese said. "I don't know why, but I never thought I would make it here."
Fast forward three short years later. Friese is in the water under the same sprint regimen that elevated some of the greatest Gators under the careful watch of Jungbluth.
"To work with these coaches, the same people that coached them, is huge," says Friese.
Friese took to the instruction from the coaching staff in Gainesville out of the starting blocks. Jungbluth described Friese as being "extremely coachable" since the moment he became a Gator.
HITTING HIS STRIDE EARLY
The team starts preparing for the upcoming season during the first couple weeks of the fall semester, going two sessions a day, six times a week, with weights and dry land in between all the academics obligations that the swimmers and divers need to fulfill.
In one of the Gators' early season August practices, Jungbluth put the team through a routine exercise.
"We had groups all over the pool," Jungbluth recalled. "As a coach, you get turned around, you watch this group and another group, so I turn around to look at one group and they're going all out, but there's one guy out front."
As the drill was coming to an end, Jungbluth joked to himself that maybe Dressel, who still trains in Gainesville, hopped on the blocks with the guys and was getting some extra work in the water.
As the man ahead of everybody else hit the wall and his blue Arena swim cap emerged from the water, Jungbluth was almost shocked at who led the charge throughout the drill.
"It was Eric. I thought, 'Oh my god, this guy will be really good.' It's not often that you can mistake someone for Caeleb."
Friese has spent countless training sessions with Jungbluth, fine tuning all aspects of his swimming technique.
"I usually have practice with Steve. I really like him as a coach. He's really good. He looks so much into detail and technique. The things that I don't see, I don't look at it, he sees those things."
Jungbluth's attention to detail, even the slightest, has shown Friese the importance of every aspect of his sprints.
"Sometimes it's just a little thing that maybe I would see as not that important, he sees as really important in this race," Friese said. "I think the way he sees the races and the technique and things is really unique and I really think it's a good fit."
GOALS
Jungbluth and Nesty, in turn, both view Friese as a perfect fit for the program.
"Eric is a very talented and smart kid. The best attribute he brings to our team is his racing ability," said Nesty. "Overall, he is a good team guy and he is the right person we want to be in a part of our program. He exemplifies what we look for in a Florida Gator."
"We have so many people looking in on him and people throughout our program that deal with him on a day-to-day basis," said Jungbluth. "Our staff, nutritionists, strength and conditioning, academic advisors, you ask any of them and they will give Eric the highest mark. He succeeds in all areas. Eric seems to be doing well in about everything and that's great."
Friese believes all the fine-tuning and hard work since his first steps on campus will come to fruition this year at the SEC Championships in Auburn, Ala. (Feb.18-22), and NCAA Championships (March 25-28) in Indianapolis, Ind., where he will be able to show he belongs as a member of the Gators on the biggest stages of collegiate swimming.
"My goal is to score as many points as possible to help the team win its eighth straight SEC Championship and to be successful at NCAAs," Friese said. "I worked very hard this year, and I'm very excited for the championship season."
After setting foot in Gainesville blindly, Friese exhibits a new-found confidence and drive, which will bode well as he attempts to join the long lineage of successful Gators that splashed in the same waters long before him.
"I believe in myself. I believe in the coaches, the whole Gators program, the whole university. I trust in the process," Friese said. "I feel like I'm more motivated than ever before. The fact that I'm here, I know I belong here. I came to a new environment and realized this is what I'm here for, and I want to make the most of that chance."
