OWEN WINS DIVISION II SWIM TITLE

Revelations in life often come at times and places you least expect.

For former Cape Central swimmer Jason Owen, a revelation occurred last week in a swimming pool in Buffalo, N.Y.

Competing in the NCAA Division II swim championships, Owen, a freshman at Drury College in Springfield, won the national championship in the mile freestyle.

The victory was a shock to Owen, who was competing in four individual events and the 800 relay.

"It definitely was a surprise," said Owen, back in Cape Girardeau on spring break. "Especially because I didn't think it was my best event. But it turned out to be."

At nationals, Owen also swam in the 200 and 500 freestyles, 200 backstroke and 800 freestyle relay. He had gained an invitation to the nationals by making the qualifying time in the mile, and once in Buffalo qualified for the other events. Even though the mile got him to Buffalo, he considered the 500 his strength.

"I just thought it was an easier cut than other events," said Owen about the mile swim. "That's why I didn't consider it my best event."

He found out he was the best in the event among Division II swimmers. In winning the event in 15 minutes and 40.05 seconds, Owen shattered his previous best time of 16:04. He finished seven seconds ahead of the runner-up.

The victory made him an all-American in the event, a distinction he also wears in the 500 after placing third. He also earned second-team honors in the 200 freestyle with a 12th-place finish and helped the 800 freestyle team to a second-place finish.

Owen gained a scholarship to Drury after a strong senior season at Cape Central that saw him earn all-state honors in two events at the state swim meet. He placed second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke.

When he showed up at Drury, the mile was an area of concern for the team.

"The coaches thought I'd do well at it so I trained for that," said Owen. "I just kind of fell into it. They needed somebody to do it and I did it. Because I never swam it before, every time I swam I got a best time."

To the average person, the training appears brutal and time consuming. Owen said he swims as least 6 miles a day in two-a-day practices that consume about four and a half hours.

"We train longer hours than sprint swimmer do," Owen said.

The training paid off when he won the conference meet in a time of 16:04, which qualified him for the nationals.

And that led to a revelation: He's no longer a sprinter. He's a national champion distance swimmer.

"I'll focus on the mile and let other stuff fall behind," said Owen.