The summer after Andrew Sansoucie’s freshman year, he went back home to Wentzville. He worked as a swimming coach and, he admits, did not train enough on his own.

When he returned to Columbia for his sophomore season, Sansoucie remembers getting “beat up” by tough practices. It took some time for him to get back into swimming shape.

The next summer, he stayed in Columbia to train with the Missouri team.

Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh feels that training year-round was a big step for Sansoucie.

“Here we talk about taking steps forward in the summer,” he said. “We want people to make national teams … that’s something you can’t do unless you embrace swimming, and it’s a full-time thing.”

Now a senior, Sansoucie has developed into a top butterfly swimmer nationally. He earned individual All-America honors as a junior and placed 11th in the 100-meter butterfly at this summer’s Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

At Olympic Trials, Sansoucie finished 16th in preliminaries to barely make it to semifinals.

“The coaches’ goal for me — we talked about it at the beginning of the collegiate season last year — was, ‘We want you to get a second swim at Trials,’” Sansoucie said. “And I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do that.’ And then we got to Trials … and moved up to 11th from the 27th I was seeded. It was really just an incredible feeling.”

Sansoucie was in the same semifinal heat as 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps at Olympic Trials. Though the Missouri senior said the race itself didn’t feel any different with Phelps in the water, he certainly noticed the Olympian’s pre-race arm slap ritual.

“You just hear that clap as soon as you get on the blocks and you’re like, ‘Oh, well there’s Phelps,’” he said.

Sansoucie said his experience at Olympic Trials will be helpful as Missouri trains for NCAA Championships.

Growing up in Missouri, Sansoucie remembers seeing Mizzou posters and flags in school, and he has enjoyed representing his home state.

“It’s kind of cool to see somebody from Missouri that’s gone through our program now and really bought into what we’re doing,” Rhodenbaugh said. “And it’s because of his efforts that he’s really at the top of Division I swimming. That’s really cool to watch, and I know he’s happy about it.”

Last year, Missouri placed eighth as a team at NCAA Championships, a program high. With Sansoucie and a loaded senior class, the Tigers could finish even higher in 2017.

In his final collegiate season, Sansoucie hopes to place in the top eight at NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly. He is also expected to be on Missouri’s 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams.

U.S. National Team member Michael Chadwick and 100-yard breaststroke NCAA Champion Fabian Schwingenschlogl will also likely be in the medley relays. Sansoucie expects the relays to contend for a national title.

Though he has not made any decisions yet, Sansoucie has not ruled out continuing his swimming career after college.

“We’re going to swim NCAAs, see how that goes, see how my body’s feeling, see how my mind’s doing and see if that’s something we want to pursue after that,” he said.

Sansoucie has talked to his coaches about trying to make the U.S. team for World Championships. Though he would need a significant time drop, Rhodenbaugh said his swimmer is still improving.

“Certainly he’s put himself in position where he is kind of on the next level right before the elite level,” he said. “This season, he’s getting better and better and better. He’s one of those guys that’s still getting better. Not everybody’s there. Certainly if he takes another step forward this season, I think he could see himself sticking around and seeing what happens for a year.”

Rhodenbaugh said Sansoucie has developed into a leader on the team. He’s more vocal and more confident.

Since Sansoucie has embraced training and the Missouri program, Rhodenbaugh feels he can go “as far as he can see himself going.”

“If you find the right program, you’ll get better,” Rhodenbaugh said. “But if you actually embrace that program, who knows where you can go?”

_Edited by David Reynolds | dreynolds@themaneater.com_