| One of the greatest swimmers in
Oakland University history, Mark VanderMey did something no other athlete at Oakland had
done before or has done since-earned NCAA Division I All-America status. Mark, who was a
Pioneer swimmer from 1985-88, was a Pioneer swimmer from 1985-88, was a 27-time
All-American and seven-time champion. Mark was the
NCAA Division II Swimmer of the Year in 1988, and was the GLIAC Swimmer of the Year in
1986, 1987 and 1988. A 23-time Division II All-American, Mark was a three-time champion in
the 100 yard breaststroke. Along with the 100 yard breaststroke crown, Mark won the title
in the 200 yard breast and the 200 individual medley in 1988 to become the first swimmer
in Oakland history to win three individual titles in the same year. A 23-time GLIAC
champion, Mark’s Division I All-America honors came in the 100 and 200 yard
breaststrokes in 1987 and 1988.
Once a seven-time school and three-time national record
holder, Mark still holds school marks in the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke and the 200
individual medley. His time of 1:59.19 is still the NCAA II record in the 200 yard
breaststroke. Mark was a member of the 1986 United States Team and the Goodwill Games in
Moscow. He also qualified and swam in the 1988 Olympic Trials, and was ranked in the top
25 in the world in both breaststroke events in 1986 and 1987.
Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications
from Oakland in 1989. A Pioneer assistant coach for four seasons, Mark is currently the
swim coach for East Grand Rapids Aquatics. Mark lives in Grand Rapids with his wife
Annette. |
