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getting to know FOURTH-YEAR DAVID KARASEK A native of Switzerland, David Karasek is a four- time All-American and a two-time ACC champion. Kasarek swam on UVa's 800 freestyle relay team that won the 2011 ACC championship in a record time of 6:16.75. He earned his first individual All- America honor when he finished 16th in the NCAA 200 freestyle during the 2010-11 season. Karasek also has excelled in the classroom, earning notice on the 2011 All-ACC Academic team. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE … … TV show: "Californication" … movie: "Lord of the Rings" … actor and actress? Robert DeNiro and Cameron Diaz … Charlottesville hangout/restaurant? Bo- do's, on the corner … musician/band? Tupac Shakur … pro sports team? Philadelphia Eagles … person in history? William Tell (folk hero of Switzerland) … food? Italian … UVa class? Public speaking … sport (other than swimming)? Kite surfing … pre-meet ritual? I talk to my teammates and I try to focus on the good things at the meet. I take a couple of deep breaths and go. My advice to student-athletes is: Balance stu- dent life and sports with the little spare time we have in a reasonable way. Don't lose sight of the goals in each of those areas. The primary challenge facing student-athletes today is: The competition is getting tougher and tougher in my opinion. I can pretty much talk about swimming. Everybody is getting better and wants to do more to succeed. If you just do 20 hours per week, it might not be enough, so you have to do something extra. The best thing about UVa is: I love my team. People think swimming is an individual sport. When you race you swim for the team, but you spend so many hours in the pool and try to lift each other up. It's not an individual sport at all. Why I chose UVa: I had a scheduled recruiting trip here and at Cal Berkley, but I never went to Berkley because I came here and loved how the team wel- comed me. I love the coaches and facilities. It was like a dream come true for me. The team made the biggest impression on me. What I like the most about swimming: I like the end-of-the-season meets and love the feeling when you jump in the water with your body shaved and have been training for this and you're ready to perform for your entire team. The highlight of my UVa athletic career: I would Karasek is a four-time All-American and a two-time ACC champion. PHOTO BY JIM DAVES/COURTESY UVA have to say last year at the NCAAs when our 800 freestyle relay placed second behind Florida. It was the best relay finish — period — that UVa's ever had. The most important thing I've learned from swimming is: Persistence and patience for my goals. Not giving up and fighting. My dream vacation would be: Maui, for kite surf- ing and wind surfing. My post-college ambition is: I did finance and business management. Hopefully I'll combine that with some sort of social life and be quite successful. — Mike Scandura Cavalier Pride. 31 OZ. OF A guaranteed hit for any Cavalier fan. Made in the U.S.A. from Northern White Ash, each full-size, 34" bat features a classic natural finish with the University of Virginia logo emblazoned in black foil across the barrel and the bat owner's name or personal message* engraved between the words "GENUINE" and "LOUISVILLE SLUGGER." These bats make a perfect gift for groomsmen, graduates, dads, or any other Cavalier fan—including yourself—who deserves something special. *Messages may be one or two lines of text up to 25 characters per line. $60 (plus shipping and tax). To order, visit us at sluggergifts.com or call 1-866-785-BATS (2287). BatAd_Virginia_7.375x4.833.indd 1 FEBRUARY 2012 ◆ 11 6/28/11 10:28:05 PM