Men's Swimming | 7/26/2016 9:46:00 AM

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University men's swimming alumnus Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia) will represent his home country of Macedonia in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The three-time NCAA national champion and three-time Academic All-America® will swim the 200 Individual Medley during the Rio games (August 5-21). Blazevski trains with Swim MAC in Charlotte.
 
"Marko was not included on the original Macedonian Olympic swimming roster," Wingate head swimming coach Kirk Sanocki says. "After a worldwide showing of support (for Marko), the Macedonian Olympic committee reversed its decision."
 
Blazevski carried the Macedonian flag in the opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics. At Wingate, Blazevski won the 400 Individual Medley national title for the third time in four years at the 2014 NCAA Division II national swimming championships. For his illustrious WU career, Blazevski collected 16 NCAA All-American trophies (12 individual, four relay) and four honorable mention laurels (four individual swims).
 
"Marko epitomizes the attributes of hard work, consistency and excellent attitude," Sanocki says. "All great athletes possess these qualities. Marko uses these attributes as his compass."
 
"The fact that Marko is a student of the sport is very important to remember," Sanocki says. "Our fervent hope is how he performs (in Rio) will inspire young Macedonians to get involved in swimming. Marko desires to move the swimming culture in his country to the next level."
 
The 2014 J. Howard Williams Award winner for Wingate University Male Athlete of the Year, Blazevski won four awards at Wingate's 2014 WUSPYS gala, including Best Championship Performance. Blazevski graduated magna cum laude with a Finance degree at Wingate's 2014 commencement exercises.
  
Blazevski won four All-American distinctions in three individual events and one relay as Wingate finished eighth at the 2014 NCAA Division II national meet. The Bulldogs won their seventh straight Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship as Blazevski won the 200 Butterfly, the 500 Freestyle and the 400 Individual Medley events in 2014.
 
In 2013, Blazevski was an All-American in the 1000 Freestyle, the 400 IM, the 200 Butterfly and the 800 Free Relay as Wingate finished sixth at the NCAAs. Blazevski and his teammates finished fifth at the 2012 and 2011 NCAA meets. He is an All-BMC performer 16 times in his career with nine league titles (eight individual, one relay).
 
Q&A WITH WINGATE UNIVERSITY OLYMPIAN MARKO BLAZEVSKI ('14)
 
What were your first thoughts when you received the good news?
 
"I felt much relief. I thought I had qualified prior to the first announcement in the days after July 4. When the official news came out recently, I was very excited."
 
Share about your training regimen…

"Swimming prepares you for life. The biggest difference between training at Wingate and training in Charlotte is the focus on work outside the pool. When I talked with Kirk (Sanocki) post-Wingate, we agreed this was the area where I needed the most work."
 
"The lifestyle change has been significant…I am a professional swimmer! There are so many benefits…competing and traveling with the best of the best. The travel is amazing."
 
"My training group includes 16 people. Each person has a different personality and a different background…each person brings a different approach to training and racing. They are all business."
 
How did Wingate University prepare you for this moment?
 
"On the swimming side, my time at Wingate University was really important to my development. I made the biggest improvement, giving me the opportunity to eventually train with the USA Olympic coach and incredible professional athletes. I think Wingate's proximity to Charlotte was a big factor as well."
 
"Swimming and academics at Wingate taught me so much about time management…lessons I have utilized in all aspects of my life. If I decide to move on after the Rio Olympics, my WU finance degree will allow me to get a good job."
 
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Reed Miller, Wingate University swimming alumnus and Blazevski's four-year teammate ('14)
 
"Marko is obviously a great swimmer…and the duration, intensity and accolades associated with his successes are clear indicators of this fact. He's also used the sport to make a positive impact on those of us who are lucky enough to have been his teammates."
 
"Swimming is a sport of mental toughness, which was something I was lacking when I got to Wingate. Marko and I built a friendship early on at school, which gave me the opportunity to consistently pick the brain of a very hard-working and talented swimmer. He sets extremely clear process goals and tracks his workouts every day. His intrinsic motivation and passion for the sport are apparent and far reaching."
 
"With confidence, but not arrogance, he pushed me to be better in the pool and in the classroom while at Wingate. In my mind, his ability to be a great teammate stems from his uncanny ability to laugh at himself. It's extremely difficult to continue to consistently have fun in the sport of swimming when you get to a certain level, but Marko does this. I've told him several times he is living the dream by being able to represent his country in the Olympics and train with some of the best in the world. He has never once argued this point…he has certainly earned the opportunity to be on the world's biggest swimming stage."
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 34 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 

In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 10 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.

Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America-producing colleges in the 2000's with 86 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 86 Academic All-America honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 95 lifetime Academic All-America picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.