Saint John's University

Luke Vestrum went on to become one of the all-time greats in the history of Saint John's University swimming and diving. But he was lucky enough to have another Johnnie swimming icon there to mentor him at the start of his collegiate career.
 
Matt Zelen '99 — who won the NCAA Division III national title in the 50 freestyle as a senior in 1999 — had already graduated by the time Vetsrum arrived on campus in the fall of that year. But he was still at SJU training for the U.S. Olympic Trials the following summer.
 
That gave Vestrum an immediate and impressive yardstick to measure himself against.
 
"We trained together a lot," Vestrum recalls. "Matt really took me under his wing. He was a role model in terms of how to train, goal setting and what it took to be successful. He was a mentor and a friend.
 
"He also kept me humble because he always kicked my butt."


 
Vestrum was already no slouch himself. He'd qualified for the Class 2A state meet four times at Alexandria High School and was part of state champion 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams his senior season.
 
He'd been recruited by the University of Minnesota, but before he committed, his mother asked him to look at the school they'd passed repeatedly on the freeway during trips from Alexandria to the U of M campus in Minneapolis.
 
"My goal from the time I started swimming was to become a Division I athlete," Vestrum said. "I was lucky enough to be recruited by the Gophers and I liked it there. But my mom asked me what I thought about Saint John's. We'd driven by it a lot, but we didn't have any family members who'd gone there and I didn't know anything about it. She said I should just check it out and compare.
 
"So I came down and met guys like Matt and Soren Peterson. I had a great time and it became a no-brainer. Saint John's was where I wanted to be."
 
Zelen said Vestrum's talent was apparent from the start, as were his leadership skills.
 
"You could see right away that he just fit the mold of what a Johnnie should be," Zelen said. "He was a great swimmer, but he was also a great teammate. Even as a freshman, he was encouraging other members of the team. He had such a welcoming personality.
 
"He was open to feedback and open to being pushed. He didn't respond negatively to that, which is so important in a sport like swimming where you push yourself day in and day out. You could see he was going to do some big things."
Indeed, Vestrum made an immediate impact for the Johnnies as a freshman, winning MIAC titles in the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley and finishing second in the 100 backstroke at the conference meet.
 
"It didn't take long to see he was going to be special," said Vestrum's classmate Jim Arnold, who went on to win six conference titles (counting relays) himself. "I think it was probably the first meet we had that season. He brought a good combination of a lot of talent, an incredible work ethic and extreme competitiveness that is a recipe for success in college athletics.
 
"He swam a lot of different events. He swam stuff he probably didn't want to because that's where we needed him. But he never complained. He was always a team guy."
 
Vestrum again won the conference title in the 200 IM as a sophomore and finished second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200. But that just set the stage for his junior season in which he piled up three conference titles (200 IM, 200 and 400 freestyle relay) while finishing second in the 100 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke.
 
He then earned All-American distinction three times at that season's Division III national meet as the Johnnies finished sixth in the 200 freestyle relay, ninth in the 200 medley relay and 10th in the 400 freestyle relay.
 
"I learned a lot those first two years about training technique, and I rested better as a junior," Vestrum said. "I stayed healthy and I had phenomenal training partners like Jim Arnold there to push me. He played a big role in my success that year."
 
Vestrum seemed on-pace to do even better as a senior until he ran into back issues just a few weeks before the MIAC meet.
 
"That was the worst thing ever," he recalls. "I was swimming fantastically and was on-track to have another really good year. I was a senior, and I'd taken all the credits I needed to graduate, so I was taking an introduction to classical guitar course the second semester.
 
"One day, I played for about two hours. When I tried to stand up, my back seized on me. It took me two weeks to fully recover, and that didn't leave enough time to properly get ready for the conference meet and qualify for nationals."
 
Still, Vestrum earned three more MIAC titles (200 and 400 freestyle and 400 medley relay) while finishing second in the 100 breaststroke, third in the 200 breaststroke and third in the 200 IM.
 
That meant he finished his career with nine conference titles (counting relays), second in program history only to Zelen's 13. But his teammates say his success wasn't only measured in championships.
 
"He was a team leader," Arnold said. "He was such a social guy. He kept things lighthearted at practice. He was just fun to be around."
 
Vestrum — who now runs a web development studio — has continued to swim after college, competing at the U.S. Masters level. He holds five Minnesota Masters state records and won the national title in the 50 breaststroke in his age group, while placing second in the 50 freestyle, backstroke and butterfly in 2017.
 
He was also the national runner-up in the 50 backstroke in 2015.
 
"The way my senior year ended is probably why I've continued to swim and compete," he said. "I feel like I still had/have some unfinished business."
 
He has also remained active in the SJU J-Club, serving on the group's board of directors.
 
"There's something magical about this place and the memories I made here," Vestrum said. "I want to see Saint John's swimming do well. It had a big impact on my life and I want to see other people have that experience too.
 
"Plus, I'm always looking for excuses to get us old-timers together, and the more events I organize, the more chances I have to make that happen."