Patrick Reusse
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Swimmers are invariably lean, although Adam Mitchell took it to the extreme during his high school years at Dowling Catholic in Des Moines, Iowa.

"I was 6-2, maybe 135 as a senior," Mitchell said. "I would eat and eat, 5,000 or 6,000 calories a day, but my metabolism was going so fast, I couldn't gain any weight."

Mitchell led Dowling to three consecutive state titles. That skinny frame scared off most recruiters. And there was another requirement for Mitchell in choosing a college.

"There had to be an architectural program," he said. "That eliminated Iowa."

He zeroed in on Iowa State. Then it was announced ISU was dropping baseball and men's swimming.

Minnesota was a college with excellence in swimming and in its architectural program. So, Mitchell came here as little more than a walk-on.

"We did pay for his books, to show Adam that we wanted him," coach Dennis Dale said. "You could see that he had a good feel for the water. And, his scholarship definitely has been improved."

Now a senior, Mitchell has earned that improvement in financial aid by becoming the most versatile swimmer in the Big Ten. The conference meet starts today in Bloomington, Ind. If the Gophers repeat as champions, Mitchell's effort in five events (and maybe six) will have a sizable impact.

Six events -- for a guy who is skin and bones? "My metabolism finally slowed down," he said. "I'm close to 170 now."

His mother Vicki's reaction to that statement was: "One-seventy? I doubt that. Maybe right after he's finished a huge meal."

Adam was a hyperactive 7-year-old when he started swimming. "He had so much energy that he kept getting in trouble," Vicki said. "Not big trouble, but enough to disrupt things around the house. We were hoping to find something where he could use all that energy in a positive way.

"He was taking swimming lessons and one of the instructors said, 'You should put Adam in competitive swimming. He has a gift for it.' "

Vicki and her husband, Bill, were making the drive on Wednesday from their retirement home in Cape Fair, Mo., to Indiana University for the conference meet.

"We were just talking about Adam's first race as a 7-year-old," Vicki said on her cell phone. "It was a 50, Adam was ahead, and then he stopped at the turn. We were all yelling, 'Swim, swim!' He started up again, and won.

"We all asked what he was doing on the turn and Adam said, 'I was ahead, so I decided to rest.' "

There will be no rest for Mitchell this week. He's the No. 1 seed in both the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys, and No. 3 in the 200-meter backstroke.

He also will swim the 400- and 800-meter freestyle relays, and if needed, the medley relay.

"He's the best swimmer and athlete we've ever had for someone who was virtually unrecruited," Dale said. "I don't think we've had anyone come so far in four years."

Mitchell's involvement in his other pursuit -- architecture -- also dates to his pre-teenage days in Des Moines. "Myself and several of my friends built some of the greatest tree houses you ever have seen," he said.

Mitchell has found many architects to admire in his studies but no particular hero. He said an architect does not leave college announcing that he's going to design commercial buildings or private homes.

"What you do is look for a job -- a chance to earn a living with that degree," he said. "Some day, I would like to design commercial high-rises."

That's a very lofty goal, of course, but this is a person who went from an extra-scrawny kid to a tremendous Big Ten swimmer.

"We felt that at the start here, Adam had lower standards for himself," Dale said. "We had to work on him for a couple of years to convince him the 400 IM could be a great event for him.

"The 400 is a killer. He finally swam it two or three times as a sophomore, and saw that we might be right.

"Adam is going to have to be on his game for us to have a chance to win a third straight Big Ten title this week. He will be. What we've found out is the bigger the meet, the better Adam swims."

Patrick Reusse can be heard weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP at 6:45 and 7:45 a.m. and 4:40 p.m. • preusse@startribune.com

Article reprinted with permission obtained through the University of Minnesota.