About five months ago, senior Justin Breithaupt had a scary conversation with head swimming and diving coach Jim Halliburton.

Fresh off of a serious back surgery, Breithaupt was experiencing pain to the point that he considered quitting the sport he has loved since the age of six.

“I talked to my coach about the possibility of not swimming any more, but I am glad I made the decision to keep swimming,” Breithaupt said.

These days, just weeks before the Atlantic 10 conference championships, the Saint Louis University swimming and diving team is thankful that Breithaupt was able to continue swimming.

“The surgery was definitely a blessing in disguise. It helped me prioritize and realize I need to do my best in the time I have swimming,” Breithaupt said.

Not that swimming at SLU has ever led to a dull moment for Breithaupt. That has been apparent since the very beginning

Breithaupt easily recalls his early days at SLU, before he established himself as a crucial contributor and motivator.

“I think my freshman year I was a pretty bad swimmer, actually. The coach didn’t think I’d make the team,” Breithaupt said.

But another blessing in disguise helped Breithaupt establish his place on the team.

During one particular workout, Breithaupt inadvertently impressed his coaches by accidentally swimming more than a workout called for. This honest mistake displayed his willingness to swim the extra distance.

“It’s amazing how far he’s come since coming as a freshman [to the team] with little experience. He has improved more than anybody we’ve ever had. He just started out as a really inexperienced swimmer,” Halliburton said.

This is especially apparent when one looks at his improvements in times.

“My times have gotten better,” Breithaupt said. “More importantly, mentally I have gotten a lot better. I am not afraid of opponents. I’ve grown in that aspect. I owe it all to my training and who I train with. They push me hard in practices.”

Taking into account swimming and training sessions, Breithaupt dedicates about 20 hours a week to swimming. This commitment has paved the way for his success.

“He is our hardest worker and is definitely a leader by example. You wish you had a whole team just like Justin,” Halliburton said.

Breithaupt’s ability to learn from other swimmers has also led to his vast improvements since freshman year.

“I think the one thing I’m good at is finding someone who is good at something and emulat[ing] what they are doing,” Breithaupt said.

Perhaps because of his own remarkable improvement, motivating his teammates is also a trademark for the senior from Swansea, Ill. Sophomore Michael Dahle certainly thinks highly of his elder teammate.

“Justin is an extremely positive motivator,” Dahle said. “He’s always yelling and getting everybody going. He takes it to the extreme. He’s a good teammate and is always willing to step up when the team needs him.”

Another point of emphasis for Breithaupt is having fun.

“One of my biggest mantras is ‘the moment it is no longer fun, stop,'” Breithaupt said. “[Swimming] has always been fun. I like to make jokes and remind people how fun it is. Just because you’re working hard does not mean it can’t be fun.”

These efforts are not unnoticed by his head coach.

“He’ll have fun and try to encourage everyone to have fun. He is very upbeat,” Halliburton said.

Breithaupt has long since entered the realm of experienced swimmers. Halliburton says that the greatest success of Breithaupt was placing at the Atlantic 10 Conference in 6th place in the 1650-free final.

To prepare Breithaupt for important events, Halliburton says that he pushes him hard and works him hard in practice, trying to build his confidence when faced with a challenge.

” [Breithaupt] worked hard and swam hard. Now, he has matured and analyzes what he needs to do. He is very prepared and very successful,” Halliburton said.

Halliburton mentioned that he has never faced a disappointment in Breithaupt. Even after the back surgery this summer, Breithaupt bounced back quicker than he was predicted to and was ready to work again.

These kind of efforts explain why, last year, Breithaupt won the team’s Hardest Worker award and the Best Attitude Award.

Coach Halliburton and Dahle agree that Breithaupt readily complies with instructions and training and can never be caught complaining about anything.

“He is very conscientious of what is going on in practice and is a hard worker,” Halliburton said.

All of Breithaupt’s efforts are done for the sake of his teammates.

“Well, they say swimming is an individual sport, but it definitely is not,” Breithaupt said. “We all work together and everybody is good about cheering each other on. I really do admire everyone on the team. There is no one on the team that I wouldn’t take advice from.”

Breithaupt has fairly ambitious team goals in addition to his personal goals.

“Specifically, our team made a goal to make top five at conference,” Breithaupt said.

“We were embarrassed to make last place last year. I would love to be fast enough to be in a relay and score big points for the team. There is a mental aspect to it and helping teammates succeed.”

“Ever since freshman year I wanted to leave SLU Swimming better than I found it,” Breithaupt said. “Every year you can tell we’re getting faster. This year the team had the best attitude I’ve ever seen.”

And Breithaupt can certainly take credit for much of this improvement.