makingwaves
CAA StAndout AAron KrAuSe ’05 findS SuCCeSS in And out of the pool
By Ginny Cook
Aaron Krause ’05 always loved the
water. As a kid, he was the first one
in the pool when it opened—and
the last to leave at closing time.
“Aaron has had the greatest impact on our
men’s program in the last decade and maybe
even in the history of the program,” says
Towson Coach Pat Mead. “His work ethic and
understanding of what it took to be great set
an example for our swimmers long after he
graduated.”
A two-time CAA Swimmer of the Year who
competed in backstroke, free style, butterfly
and the individual medley, Krause qualified
for the NCAA Championships as a junior
and senior. He also set five individual school
records and three CAA marks in his career.
Now he’s earned a spot on the Colonial
Athletic Association’s 25th Anniversary Men’s
Swimming and Diving team. He was one of 20
TU athletes selected to the CAA’s anniversary
teams in 21 sports. (See sidebar.)
As athletic competitions go, swimming races
are brief. A dive, a splash, and a few seconds
to a few minutes later a hand touches the
wall and a fist is raised in victory (perhaps).
Training, however, is extensive and repetitive—
hours and hours in the pool, lap after lap after
lap, stroke after stroke, day after day.
Krause never tired of the drills, displaying
a dogged devotion to the rigors of practice.
“He’s a talented athlete, no doubt,” says
Mead. “But a lot of kids have talent.” What
Krause had—what he still has—is focus, and
an incredible ability to exert himself.
“Aaron worked his tail off, and that made
him successful at swim meets,” Mead says.
“Now he’s applied that same work ethic to
running a business and other facets of his life.”
Different strokes
Truth be told, it’s somewhat surprising that
Krause ever got his feet wet in a Division I pool.
“My swimming career was unconventional,”
he admits.
He began competitive swimming only
because his older brother swam in a Baltimore-area summer league. So because he was at
a pool anyway for meets and practices, he
decided to get in.
