University of Minnesota Athletics
Meet the Gophers: Daryl Turner
10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Oct. 19, 2016 
Daryl Turner kicked off his senior season by making a big splash in the pool for the Border Battle meet between the Gophers and Wisconsin. While anchoring the 200-yard medley relay to a win, he also cruised to victory in his two favorite events: the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly. Gopher Sports caught up with him to learn more.
Gopher Sports: First things first. How did you get into swimming?
Daryl Turner: I started later than a lot of people. A lot of people who are at this stage, they started when they were six or when they were babies. I started competitively swimming when I was 11 or 12.
The way I got into it, I was at my friend's birthday party and we got into the deep end, and I almost drowned. So my mom got me into swim lessons. I stuck with it. At the time, I was playing and experimenting with different sports and doing swimming lessons and it just clicked. I got onto a recreational team and then I got to a point where my rec coach was like, "He's too good for us." So I transferred from the rec team to an actual club team.
GS: So after not drowning, signing up for swimming lessons, then realizing you were pretty good at this, how did end up at the U?
DT: My junior year of high school, I guess a lot of colleges liked the way I was performing in high school so I was recruited by a bunch of different schools. When I took my trip here, I just felt at home. I loved that it was away from home, but still sort of close to Colorado. And I liked the atmosphere here. Minneapolis reminds me a lot of Denver. And I loved the team aspect, the coaches, the pool, just everything about the U.
GS: Can you give us an overview of the team and how you guys keep up the intensity each year and continue to grow?
DT: We all have the goal as a team to be the very best we can be. We work hard in the pool every day. We do more before the sun comes up than most people do all day. We're up at 5 a.m. every day and we put everything we can into the pool with the goal of being the best in the Big Ten and the NCAA.
GS: Now that you have your feet wet with your first meet of the year, what are some of your goals for the rest of the season?
DT: I would really like to make an individual event at the NCAA Championships. That's one of my biggest goals.
GS: Is there a specific event?
DT: 100 back and 100 fly. Those are my two best events. This year, I feel stronger than I ever have at this point. Right now, everything is looking good. I want to contribute the most I can to the team. I would love to walk away with a Big Ten Championship.
GS: Let's talk about the Border Battle meet. You handily won every race you swam. What was the preparation like?
DT: I mainly wanted to focus on details on all my races. When I was going in to the 100 fly and 100 back, I basically kept telling myself to be patient for my underwaters. It paid off. I think that's the fastest time in the 100 fly I've had in season at a dual meet.
GS: Now that you've got some momentum at your back, how do you keep that going for the next meet? (The Gophers host Iowa, Oct. 28 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.)
DT: Give our all at practice every day and keep our eyes on the prize. The win against Wisconsin was great and dual meets are great, but what matters is Big Tens and NCAAs. That's where my focus is and what my mind is set on.
Gopher Sports: First things first. How did you get into swimming?
Daryl Turner: I started later than a lot of people. A lot of people who are at this stage, they started when they were six or when they were babies. I started competitively swimming when I was 11 or 12.
The way I got into it, I was at my friend's birthday party and we got into the deep end, and I almost drowned. So my mom got me into swim lessons. I stuck with it. At the time, I was playing and experimenting with different sports and doing swimming lessons and it just clicked. I got onto a recreational team and then I got to a point where my rec coach was like, "He's too good for us." So I transferred from the rec team to an actual club team.
GS: So after not drowning, signing up for swimming lessons, then realizing you were pretty good at this, how did end up at the U?
DT: My junior year of high school, I guess a lot of colleges liked the way I was performing in high school so I was recruited by a bunch of different schools. When I took my trip here, I just felt at home. I loved that it was away from home, but still sort of close to Colorado. And I liked the atmosphere here. Minneapolis reminds me a lot of Denver. And I loved the team aspect, the coaches, the pool, just everything about the U.
GS: Can you give us an overview of the team and how you guys keep up the intensity each year and continue to grow?
DT: We all have the goal as a team to be the very best we can be. We work hard in the pool every day. We do more before the sun comes up than most people do all day. We're up at 5 a.m. every day and we put everything we can into the pool with the goal of being the best in the Big Ten and the NCAA.
GS: Now that you have your feet wet with your first meet of the year, what are some of your goals for the rest of the season?
DT: I would really like to make an individual event at the NCAA Championships. That's one of my biggest goals.
GS: Is there a specific event?
DT: 100 back and 100 fly. Those are my two best events. This year, I feel stronger than I ever have at this point. Right now, everything is looking good. I want to contribute the most I can to the team. I would love to walk away with a Big Ten Championship.
GS: Let's talk about the Border Battle meet. You handily won every race you swam. What was the preparation like?
DT: I mainly wanted to focus on details on all my races. When I was going in to the 100 fly and 100 back, I basically kept telling myself to be patient for my underwaters. It paid off. I think that's the fastest time in the 100 fly I've had in season at a dual meet.
GS: Now that you've got some momentum at your back, how do you keep that going for the next meet? (The Gophers host Iowa, Oct. 28 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.)
DT: Give our all at practice every day and keep our eyes on the prize. The win against Wisconsin was great and dual meets are great, but what matters is Big Tens and NCAAs. That's where my focus is and what my mind is set on.
Players Mentioned
Freestyle/Backstroke
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