As Fedor Mironov stepped up to the starting blocks on Wednesday, Lake Superior State stepped on to the national stage.
 
For a Swimming and Diving program in just its second year of competition, the moment represented a pinnacle. The Lakers, a young team with a first-year head coach, stepped up to challenge at the height of NCAA Division II competition.
 
But it wasn't simply a statement of arrival. It certainly wasn't some "happy to be here" moment. For Lake State, Wednesday was the first step into that upper echelon of Division II Swimming. And the team plans on staying for a good, long while.
 
"This was a foundational moment for us to be competitive on this stage in the future," said Swimming & Diving Head Coach Tim O'Neill."
 
Foundation. Building blocks. Stacking successes. A lot of programs talk about these things and all certainly hope to do them. But having a driven, young team taste success with a driven, talented head coach turns those words into practice. Mironov became the first NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships competitor in LSSU's brief history in the pool. He raced in the 100 Yard Butterfly, 100 Yard Freestyle and the 50 Yard Freestyle.
 
Wednesday, he raced in his first national event, the 50 Free, finishing in 20.39. Thursday, he swam the 100 Fly, the event he primarily qualified for, in 47.95. Then on Saturday, he finished the 100 Free in 45.44.
 
Mironov recognized the significance of the event for himself and the team, telling LSSULakers.com after learning of his qualification, "It's probably the biggest meet I've had in my life, and I'll try to do my best."
 
O'Neill said afterward, "Fedor earned every ounce of respect from his peers and will learn a lot from this. We are just getting started."
 
This week was a goal. An end point in some ways. A destination. It's also where that next journey begins. As O'Neill continues to build the Laker program, Laker fans can eagerly anticipate that journey ahead.
 
"This was a great experience for Fedor," the coach said. "I am so proud that we could represent Lake State at the national level."
 
Likely for the first of many times.