By: Matt Florjancic, ‘07
BEREA, Ohio – Mason Kooyman is a competitor to his core, and when he was not competing in athletics during his freshman year of college, he recognized there was something missing.
Kooyman did not start his college career at Baldwin Wallace University, but it did not take long for him to change that fact. For Kooyman, a four-sport athlete at Chardon High School, the pull of competing was too great and led him to transfer from the University of Cincinnati to Baldwin Wallace.
“I was a semester in, and then, I realized that my competitive career was…I didn’t want it to end,” Kooyman said.
“I reached out to the coach, and they were able to give me a spot on the team. I came and visited, and then, I transferred here. It’s close to home. It’s only 40 minutes away from home, and it gave me another chance to compete.”
Finding a Home
Before Kooyman could make the transfer, he had to find out if there would be an opportunity for him to swim at Baldwin Wallace.
While still at Cincinnati, where he was not participating in athletics, Kooyman wrote an email to BW Head Swimming and Diving Coach Laura Demaline. It was a memorable first exchange, and it got his point across to the veteran coach.
“His first email to me, which we joke all the time, was really just one run-on sentence,” Demaline said with a laugh. “I actually looked him up to see if it was a joke. That has been something that every once in a while, he’ll go, ‘Do you remember that first email I sent you?’ I do. He’ll see it again.
“He referenced in the email that he missed racing, but also, missed being a part of a team, and that was something that I thought, at 18 years old, was impressive that he recognized that he was missing that from his college experience. I am sure there are hundreds of college students out there that do realize they miss their sports, and they ignore that feeling, and he didn’t. I am proud of him for harnessing that and thinking there might be more for him in the sport.”
Early Impression
All jokes aside about the email, Kooyman made an immediate impression on Coach Demaline once he arrived on campus for a visit.
Kooyman came to BW while the athletes and coaches were in strict COVID-19 protocols. In order to keep the groups small, Demaline was running three practices a day. As athletes in the third session were reporting to the pool, Demaline was running the second practice. Kooyman stepped in and helped with symptom checks so the coach could focus on running the practice.
“He was like, ‘Coach, I got this,’ and I was like, ‘That kid’s going to do alright here,’” Demaline said. “He sort of just immersed himself right away, and while there were a lot of things he has worked incredibly hard to improve upon, he is now on the cusp of a record and one of the fastest sprinters to ever be here.
“It’s because of his attention to detail and that he trusts the process. He’s made a lot of sacrifices to stay focused on his goals, and it’s something that you think to yourself, ‘Wow, that was an almost miss. He wasn’t planning to be here.’ I think of how he has impacted our program and changed the trajectory of some of these training groups with how they practice together and what they place importance on, and he almost wasn’t here. Difference maker 100%.”
Midseason Acquisition
Although Kooyman integrated himself into the program by lending a helping hand, there was the matter of reacclimating to swimming while taking a step up in competition from high school to college.
While Kooyman did not have much time to get back into a competitive rhythm and adapt to a new school at the same time, he was able to make an impact in the pool. Kooyman competed in three different strokes and four events (50-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle).
“I started swimming roughly around freshman year of my high school career, so to come into a college team, I was pretty scared,” Kooyman said. “I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t know if I was a good enough. To me, it was like a whole new world.
“To fight for a spot was definitely a mental battle and a physical battle because I didn’t know what to expect, but luckily, I was able to overcome those battles and get to where I am right now.”
Family Atmosphere
Kooyman found out quickly that the BW swimming and diving team was more like a family than a collection of athletes.
However, he already knew BW would come with a family environment because his twin brother, Dylan, was enrolled at the school and punting for the football team.
“I ended up rooming with him my sophomore year,” Kooyman said. “They gave me a single because I came in second semester, but I ended up rooming with him my second year here, so it’s kind of nice to have the family around.
“I came here and visited him before I even considered transferring just to hang out with my brother and see what his lifestyle is here.”
A Bit of Everything
Since joining the team midway through the 2021 season, Kooyman has competed in multiple events. However, he has really found his stride in competing at several distances in the butterfly and freestyle competitions.
During the 2022-2023 season, Kooyman earned Ohio Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Week honors in early November. Also, he set career-best times in the 50-yard butterfly and freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and freestyle, and the 200-yard butterfly and 1,000-yard freestyle events.
Additionally, Kooyman was on the school recording-holding 400-yard freestyle relay team.
“My favorite would probably be my hardest one, which is the 100 freestyle because that’s the one I hopefully can get my name on the record board for,” Kooyman said. “That would be my favorite because that’s the one I have my high hopes for. My other two events are the 50 free and the 100 freestyle, and then, whatever relay I can fight for a spot on. My swimming career here has pretty much just been a lot of sprint-based. I don’t really dabble in any distance or stroke unless she really needs me to. I’ll do anything for the team.
“The thing about swimming is your fast times don’t really show until the very end of the season. Right now, we’re in our, I call it ‘The Killing Phase’ to where every practice we come in, she kills us mentally and physically, and then, she’ll taper us off, rest us. Then, we’re going to race fast at the end. The record’s a 47.01. Last year, I went a 48.8 at my midseason, but at the end of the season, I went a 47.6. Midseason this year, I went a 47.8, so I dropped a second from last year. I’m hoping it correlates to the end, but sky’s the limit.”
Sports Management Major
In addition to being a standout swimmer, Kooyman is finding success in the classroom, too.
Last season, he was an Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree as a sports management major.
“I originally came in with an accounting major or mindset because my stepmom’s an accountant, but then, I realized the opportunities that arise with sport management such as the Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers and all that,” Kooyman said.
“I also did a tax internship, and it was the worst two months of my life. I came in every day with a smile on my face and left with like, ‘Wow, I don’t want to do that ever again.’ I did some research, and I found the Browns have a training camp, so I was a training camp intern, and it was probably the best six months of my life.
“It was very exciting. I wanted to go to work. I was excited to wake up early, so then, I was like, ‘Alright, let’s go with this. Let’s change.’ Going into my last semester, I am a sport management major with a minor in accounting. I’m fortunate enough to have an internship that I work on the game day staff, and so, right now, I’m happy where I am. I’m starting to apply for other full-time jobs, such as the Columbus Crew, Minnesota Vikings.”
Future Plans
After his work with the Browns, Kooyman is focusing his post-college plans on a full-time event coordinator or event management positions. Ideally, once he finishes the 2023-2024 season, Kooyman would like to begin his career in professional football. However, he is open to whatever opportunities come his way.
Wherever his path leads, Kooyman is confident in the skills he honed at Baldwin Wallace, both inside the classroom and in the pool.
“BW has done several things for me as part of preparing me,” Kooyman said. “I’d say classes just give me a better understanding of what I’m going to do. Just having the one-on-one time with my professors and my advisors that I did not have at Cincinnati really sets it apart because me being new to the sport management world, obviously, I’m going to have some stupid questions.
“When you can come in and just ask that one question that’s like, ‘Oh, you really don’t know this,’ and then, they’ll give you the straightforward answer, that’s what truly helps me. BW keeps me determined, especially being on the swim team, so it helps me manage my time a little bit more knowing I have to set apart time for practices and meets and just recovery. It just helps me be more prepared for my professional career.”