A tough freshman year almost made former Auburn swimmer TJ Leon quit his calling, according to Brett Hawke, Auburn swimming and diving head coach.
The senior in biomedical sciences, who finished his final season of eligibility in 2014, said he was worried swimming was getting in the way of school and his personal life, but Hawke told Leon not to quit because he had talent.
The Mobile native took his coach's words to heart. Leon said he didn't write off swimming his first year on the Plains because he cared about the team.
Hawke said Leon's decision to keep swimming shaped the next three years of his life.
The swimmer was recently selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship for a chance to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, something that may not have happened if he quit swimming.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity to be considered as a finalist," Leon said. "I haven't had a cross-cultural experience in that way. If I were awarded the scholarship it would be invaluable."
The 2013-14 team captain said he sets his goals to benefit the sake of others.
Leon woke up at 4 a.m. to swim every morning for his team. Hawke said his will to do well in school came from his treatment of others.
"TJ's always just picking people up when they're down," Hawke said. "He's always just thinking about other people before himself. He'll go to great lengths to make sure that everybody else is taken care of before himself."
Leon is a recipient of the Cliff Hare Award and was named 2014 SEC Men's Swimming and Diving Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
"The four years I was on the team, I think that (Leon) was definitely one of the best team captains we ever had," said former teammate James Disney-May. "A real leadership figure for the whole team. He was somebody everyone respected."
If Leon receives the scholarship, he said he plans to pursue a research master's of science in primary health care to become a physician.
"I really believe that the program that I'm willing to study at Oxford will enhance my ability and enable me to understand medicine and health care better," Leon said. "Who knows where it will lead me."
Rhodes Scholars are chosen for their outstanding scholarly achievements and their character, commitment to others and to the common good and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead, according to the official website of American Rhodes Scholarships.
Hawke said staying on the swim team helped Leon develop characteristics to stand out as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
"I think TJ has a great chance to win just because of who he is," Hawke said. "He's one of the best student athletes to ever come through this program."
Leon said he analyzed his coach's words that day before he made a final decision.
"He came back and looked at it as if it's not so much about him, but how much of an impact he can make for the team," Hawke said. "He continued swimming, and that really shaped the next three years of his life, and so I think that decision alone wasn't an individual decision, it was definitely a team decision."
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