AUBURN, Ala. – In an event where hundredths of a second can be the difference between finishing first or fifth, Auburn swimmer Logan Tirheimer looks for every edge.
Of the 50-yard freestyle, Tirheimer says, "If you make one mistake, the race is done."
Smaller than many sprinters at 6-foot-1, Tirheimer compensates with quick starts off the block and eight powerfully precise kicks over 15 meters below the surface in each of his 25-yard segments.
"I have to do a lot more things right," he said. "My underwaters are probably my strength. It's always faster to swim underwater than it is over the water. You've got to pop your head right at 15.
"That's where all that training and technical work comes in. Underwater is a huge part of swimming. It's the biggest advantage you can have."
A fast start helped Logan swim the 50 free in 18.95 seconds at 2024 SECs
At the 2024 SEC Championships, Tirheimer touched the wall in 18.95 seconds, finishing fifth, the first Tiger to go below 19 seconds since his coach, Gideon Louw, did so on the Plains in 2009-10.
"I was in disbelief," Tirheimer said of his time at SECs. "It was a big rush of emotions. Happiness, excitement, relief because that was a hard period for me.
"I had great support from my trainers, my coaching staff and sports psych, "he said. "I used all of those outlets to try to get me in the best possible headspace before the race, and my body as well."
Making his accomplishment even more impressive, Tirheimer's time came fewer than eight months after the senior from Tampa, Florida, had surgery resulting from Thoracic outlet syndrome.
"I'd never heard of it," said Tirheimer, who initially thought the shoulder pain he first felt before his junior season was from overuse, not uncommon among elite swimmers.
When the nerve pain persisted, eventually affecting Tirheimer's driving, he saw a specialist, who diagnosed TOS.
"I was honestly relieved because I had swum and trained for so long not knowing what the injury was," he said. "I love the sport. I've loved it since I was 7 when I started competitive swimming."
'I love the sport'
As the pain increased throughout his journey season, that joy decreased.
"It was a really frustrating time," Tirheimer said.
Last July, a surgeon removed one of Tirheimer's ribs and two muscles. After recovery, Logan started to rehab, eventually reentering the water.
"I picked up at a pretty high point and progressed rapidly," he said. "Even though I wasn't seeing results in the water, I was seeing results outside the water."
Four weeks after surgery, Logan returned to the pool, working only on his legs for a month, in addition to daily 6 a.m. sessions with Auburn Athletics' director of physical therapy David Walsh.
"Which I think was a huge part of why I got better this year," he said. "I couldn't work on my arms so I decided the legs are going to get strong. It helped me a lot."
Last October, 13 weeks after surgery, Tirheimer began to cut loose again at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.
"Being able to do more and more each day, that progression is addicting for me," he said.
Louw, Auburn's assistant coach, smiled when his protégé joined him in the Sub-19 club at SECs.
"He's more comfortable exploring ways to go faster now on a more consistent basis," said Louw, who helped Auburn win the 2009 national championship. "I was impressed with how he rebounded from the injury and dealing with that. He never got discouraged. He kept on task, kept working hard. And now all that work has paid off to where it's now accelerating his growth.
'He kept the faith'
"He kept the faith in himself, and it's really cool to see that that major setback didn't hold him back. He did that in a very quick turnaround. I think it's all the prep work he did leading up to the surgery and after the surgery.
"He's someone who explores different ways of getting faster consistently and now that he can do that on an uninhibited scale, it's really helped him."
After Auburn finished second at SECs, Tirherimer and the Tigers' 11-member contingent hope to maintain their momentum at the NCAA Championships beginning Wednesday night in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In his third appearance at NCAAs, Tirheimer swims Thursday in the 50 free, the culmination of a process that's lasted nearly two years.
"Probably the strongest group of guys since I've been here," he said. "We've got a real opportunity to score some points, especially on relays. It's a fun group as well which is important."
Team Tirheimer on Senior Day
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer