Three years ago, Sean Lehane wanted Carter Griffin to swim for Tennessee. Griffin was a senior in high school and was considering Louisville, the Naval Academy, Tennessee and Missouri.
During his Tennessee recruiting visit, Griffin stayed with Lehane, then a freshman on the Volunteer team. It was the first of many meetings between the two.
Ultimately, Griffin chose to swim at Mizzou. He is now a junior, and Lehane is a senior at Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee.
“He did really well his freshman year, and I knew who he was and I was looking up at him and trying to use him as motivation to get better,” Griffin said. “And then (I) got to the SEC, and we’ve been racing all the time.”
After Griffin chose Mizzou, there was little chance that he and Lehane would ever swim on the same team. However, at the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships, both qualified for Team USA’s 2015 Pan American Games roster.
At the Pan American Games in Toronto, Lehane took the gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke while Griffin took the silver. After racing against Griffin at SEC Championships and other meets, Lehane said it was a different experience to be teammates.
“I’m really used to just competing against him and looking at him as kind of the enemy,” Lehane said. “To be on the same team as him, for us to go one-two for USA, was a really good feeling.”
As two of the younger swimmers at the Pan American Games, Lehane and Griffin spent a lot of time together while in Toronto. They developed a friendship over the 10-day span that has lasted into the 2015-16 season.
“It’s more than just a competitive relationship this time,” Griffin said. “We’re actually good friends. I like that a lot.”
Despite their friendship, one thing has remained the same: Griffin does not like losing to Lehane.
Tennessee came to town to race the Tigers last Thursday in a dual meet. This was the first time Griffin and Lehane have raced each other since the Pan American Games. Lehane beat Griffin handily in the 200-yard backstroke. Griffin, however, was battling an illness at the meet.
Mizzou coach Greg Rhodenbaugh, who coached Team USA at the Pan American Games, enjoyed watching the two race again at the dual meet.
“It was great,” he said. “Carter’s a little under the weather but he did a nice job battling through it … They love racing each other.”
Griffin and Lehane will race each other again this season at the Tennessee Invitational, SEC Championships and, most likely, NCAA Championships.
Griffin is looking forward to competing against his friend in the future.
“I know it’s going to be a good race,” Griffin said. “He’s never going to take a race off. He’s always going to be right there, typically a little bit in front of me, but I’m just trying to chase him down.”