Mark Sarman
Sport: Swimming
School: Broad Run
Class: Senior
GPA: 3.8
School records: 8
All-American times: 100 fly; 200 IM
Best stroke: Butterfly
Typical practice: 3 hours, 10,000 yards
Future college: Georgia Tech
Intended major: Business Administration

Ever since a 10-year-old Mark Sarman first noticed he could swim faster than most boys his age anywhere in the country, he’s tried to see if he could go even faster.

“I started dropping lots of time and putting up fast times compared to kids around the nation,” Sarman recalled. “I realized this is the sport that I want to do a whole lot ... I love competing. I want to beat the guys next to me. I thrive off that.”

Ever since a 6-year-old Sarman first met swim coach Beverly Kelley, the instructor has been duly impressed by the Ashburn native.

“I remember the first day, he could already do all four strokes legally,” said Kelley, then a youth coach at Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion, now heading the Broad Run program. “I said to his parents, what do you want me to teach him? He knows how to do everything already!”

Sarman possesses the look of a swimmer. At 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, he is long and slender, built for propelling himself fluidly from poolside to poolside. His body is tanned and topped by a short coif of bleach-blonde locks.

When younger he enjoyed baseball and other conventional youth sports, but from his earliest memories, he’s really liked to swim a lot—and he’s always liked to win a lot.

“I hate losing to someone I’m 100 percent positive I can beat,” Sarman said, referencing a particular nemesis from Roanoke whom he beat multiple times but could not vanquish during the past season’s state meet.

“I just try to see if I can get all the top times in Loudoun ... I like to set little personal marks for myself and I just want to try to better them each time.”

Not meeting a goal is not the typical result for Sarman.

Before accepting his Broad Run High School diploma, the alumnus of the Ashburn Village AquaJets swim club undertook hours of self-given homework. For morning upon early morning year after year, Sarman has put in his own three-hour practice sessions, churning out 10,000 yards of distance, combining different strokes into endless medley sets.

Sarman is constantly preparing not only for the competitive year-round slate with Curl-Burke Swim Club, but also for his high school’s campaign each winter. He’s proud that he helped lead the Spartans to four consecutive Dulles District swim championships after the program was middling previously.

“He works so hard and he’s always 100 percent focused,” Kelley said. “Even when we’ve had snow days and he couldn’t get to his other practice, he’d go get his workout on his own.”

An unusually precocious attitude lends itself to Sarman’s diligent work ethic.

“I know where I want to be in this sport, so I know what I have to do in terms of practicing and keeping my body in shape to get to the next level,” he said. “I know what I have to do and I just go out and do it. That’s pretty much it.”

The benefits are obvious. Sarman holds Spartan records in the 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard individual medley and 200-yard freestyle. He’s contributed to school-best marks in the 200-yard medley, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle.

In the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley, Sarman registered times good enough to set Dulles District records and grant him All-American status—making him the first All-American male swimmer in Broad Run’s history.

Along the way Sarman became the initial signee of a Georgia Tech recruiting class that is ranked No. 6 in the nation by CollegeSwimming.com.

Success into his crucial high school years was not guaranteed for Sarman. Bone chips under his left kneecap required surgery prior to his freshman year, keeping him out of any pool for five months.

“It took really the whole year to get back from that,” Sarman said.

Kelley immediately piped up.

“Yeah, he was only fourth in states that year,” she said. “Having the dedication and the fortitude to fight through that shows the kind of athlete he is.”

Kelley is quick to point out the role of Sarman’s parents, Peter and Gayle, in the young man’s development—a sentiment echoed by Sarman himself.

“They could not have been better parents throughout my whole childhood, and in terms of swimming they’re not overly controlling but they’re the first ones to congratulate me. That means a lot,” he said.

Sarman’s proclivity for setting goals follows him even after their achievement, or lack of, is decided.

“I wasn’t exactly happy with how I did this year. I felt like there were more things I could have done,” said Sarman, alluding to a state record in the butterfly he’d aspired to break.

“But looking back overall, I’m really really happy with how my career here turned out.”