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Romanian Rebel Making a Splash
By Jeff Wollard, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Nov. 18, 1999
Some talented female swimmers have competed for UNLV over the years, but Lorraine Diaconescu could be on her way to eclipsing them all. Diaconescu, a redshirt freshman, moved to Las Vegas from Romania in January and has wasted no time in demonstrating the skills that have earned her countless honors in the past five years. The fact that she chose UNLV could be viewed as a compliment to coach Jim Reitz's program. "I think this is a great team," said Diaconescu, who began swimming competitively at age 7. "I like that (the university) puts school and swimming together so I can do both at the same time." Swimming has always come naturally to her. After winning the 100-meter freestyle in the 1994 European Junior Championships, Diaconescu competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta as a member of the Romanian team at age 17. She finished seventh in the 200 freestyle relay. This year, she claimed another seventh-place finish in the same event at the Perth World Championships in Australia. Now she is showing her stuff as a Rebel. After winning five events at the Big West Shootout in Irvine, Calif., earlier this month, Diaconescu last week was named the Mountain West Conference's co-swimmer of the week. She said there will be more honors to come. "I would like to win some events in conference and make the NCAA Finals," said Diaconescu, whose major is in international business. She said she feels she has the potential to meet those goals in the 100-, 200- and 500-meter freestyle events. While swimming comes easily to her, life in the United States has taken some getting used to. Thanks to teammate and fellow Romanian Madalina Tin, Diaconescu is adjusting to her new life. "We chose to come here together because it's very hard if you're alone," said Diaconescu, who has known Tin for 12 years. "Sometimes we miss home or we need to say something in Romanian that we can't say in English because we're not very fluent. That makes it easier so we're not all the time upset." With Tin's support, Diaconescu quickly is becoming a role model to her teammates, a position she doesn't seem to mind. "I do what I can do," she said. "And I think the others feel that if I can do it, they can do it, too." Diaconescu's goals in swimming are not limited to UNLV. She said she plans to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. While she is reluctant to discuss the possibility of winning a medal, she knows what it will take to compete. "I have to work very hard and keep my life in order," Diaconescu said. For now she will concentrate on her work as a Rebel. She helped her team earn a split last week by winning two events in a meet at UNLV. The Rebels defeated Brigham Young but were narrowly defeated by UNR. Diaconescu and the Rebels can rest for about a month before action resumes with a home meet in December against Utah.
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