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Patch High School junior Will Viana churns the water during a 100-meter butterfly race this season. This season, Viana’s best time in the event is 58.75 seconds, which is closing in on the European Forces Swim League record of 58.13, a mark that has stood for nearly a dozen years. Viana is making a habit of collecting EFSL records, but he says he isn’t driven to defeat everyone in the pool. "I’m not a competition guy," Viana said. "I’m not a Michael Phelps. I’m a times guy."

Patch High School junior Will Viana churns the water during a 100-meter butterfly race this season. This season, Viana’s best time in the event is 58.75 seconds, which is closing in on the European Forces Swim League record of 58.13, a mark that has stood for nearly a dozen years. Viana is making a habit of collecting EFSL records, but he says he isn’t driven to defeat everyone in the pool. "I’m not a competition guy," Viana said. "I’m not a Michael Phelps. I’m a times guy." (Photo courtesy of Al Viana)

On the surface, Will Viana of the Stuttgart Piranhas swim team appears to be one of those athletes driven to bury every opponent he faces.

Viana, after all, is unbeaten in 25 European Forces Swim League races this season, vanquishing competitors in every swimming style and at distances ranging from 50 to 1,500 meters. In four of those victories, he broke ESFL short-course records.

Clearly, the desire to leave everyone else churning in his wake consumes this 17-year-old Patch High School junior.

Or perhaps it doesn’t. Turns out, Viana’s not out to collect scalps.

"I’m not a competition guy," Viana said by telephone last Thursday. "I’m not a Michael Phelps. I’m a times guy."

So far, the times for this guy have been nothing short of terrific. One of the fastest swimmers in EFSL history, Viana broke the league’s 400-meter freestyle record in October in Heidelberg, clocking 4:05.34 to obliterate the old mark of 4:17.42 swum in 2006 by Marco Plesbiscito of SHAPE. Two weeks ago in the same pool, Viana broke another Plesbiscto record. That one, set in 2007, was 2:03.53 in the 200 freestyle. Viana swam 1:58.65.

All of which came as news to the new EFSL record-holder.

When asked his feelings on breaking the marks, he replied: "Did I? I didn’t know. I’ve swum faster than that."

Indeed he can — and has. On Saturday at the new Ramstein pool, Viana set two more records in three races. He lowered the 200 free mark once again, swimming 1:56.14, and covered the 200-meter individual medley in 2:11.19 to shatter the old mark of 2:14.37 set by Ewout Holst of Bonn in 1997.

The records have come even though Viana is not training as hard this year as he has in the past. With two advanced placement courses on his academic schedule, Viana said he’s cut his practice schedule to concentrate on school.

"I swim from 5:30 to 7 in the morning with my American team, and from 6 to 8 p.m. with my German team," he said. "Last year, I practiced more. I was trying to qualify for nationals and even to make the Olympic trials."

Viana said, however, that those goals are still in the cards. After graduating from Patch, he hopes to swim in college.

"I’ve heard from the coaches at Air Force," he said, "and the coach at Cornell sent me a letter."

Don’t get the idea that a reduced practice regimen means that Viana’s hanging out at the mall with all of his newfound free time. He interrupted a piano lesson to chat with this reporter.

"My social life’s at a bare minimum," he chuckled.

That doesn’t figure to pick up much in the near future, either. He’s currently pointing toward the EFSL championships in an Olympic-size pool in Berlin on Feb. 7-8. Coaches and national swimming officials, Viana explained, lean heavily on times registered in a 50-meter Olympic pool.

"The championships are a high-quality meet, because you can establish good long-course times," Viana said. "You don’t get many chances to do that."

Based on what’s gone before, expect Viana to make the most of this one.

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