NSU Horizons Fall 2017

For Anton Lobanov, a pain in the neck has become a lifetime passion. Lobanov, a Russian native from Novosibirsk, Siberia, has suffered from neck pain and severe headaches just about since birth. When Lobanov was seven, a doctor recommended swimming as a natural way to ease the pain, which it did, although the symptoms still persist on occasion. But because that doctor directed Lobanov to a pool, and not pain pills, a new career was born. Lobanov, 25, recently completed his NSU swimming career by winning a total of six national titles in NCAA Division II. He was named the Sunshine State Conference Male Athlete of the Year, regardless of sport, after he dominated the breaststroke event for the third straight season. “Whenever Anton stepped his toes in the water,” NSU teammate Andrew Pittman said, “we assumed he would get first place.” Indeed, Lobanov won the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke national titles in each of the past three years. And he broke the NCAA Division II record in each event. Lobanov did all this by, essentially, acting like a fish. “Anton is very natural to the water,” said coach Ben Hewitt, B.S., who led his team to a third-place finish at the national meet this year. “He has a great feel for the water. He knows how to grab it and manipulate it to his advantage, using it to pull himself through the water. It’s like someone who has a natural swing in baseball.” Speaking of baseball, Lobanov was a home-run signing for NSU. When he arrived on campus in December of 2014, his reputation as an elite swimmer preceded him. Lobanov said he qualified for the BY WALTER VILLA Pain Creates a Champion The breaststroke is an odd event for most swimmers, but not for Anton Lobanov, who was told at age seven that his kick was natural for the breaststroke. 56 NSU HORIZONS ATHLETICS