Lansing’s Connor Lajza to join Ithaca College swimming

When it comes to student-athletes, the pipeline between Lansing and Ithaca College is incredibly strong. The Palladino twins (Rachael and Megan) and Ellyn Grant-Keane come to mind for soccer. As does Garrett Bell for baseball. One swimmer will continue this trend in the pool.

Connor Lajza is heading down to South Hill to join the Bombers’ swimming and diving team. When visiting Ithaca College, he saw many similarities to Lansing in terms of a robust team culture.

“To me, having support and camaraderie between teammates is really important to have,” Lajza said. “During my recruitment visits, it was clear to me that there was a good community there that I felt I could fit in with. It’s a competitive team where I’ll definitely have room to grow and improve and be challenged. I could go and join a team that’s really good stats-wise, but if they don’t have that supportive community behind it, I don’t think I’d be as happy.”

The Bombers are one of the premier swimming programs in the area, led by former Ithaca High School head coach Mike Blakely-Armitage (who has also been one of Lajza’s club coaches since he was 10 years old). Since Blakely-Armitage took over, the Bombers have continued to thrive with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Liberty League Championships. Lajza aims to help them sustain that success and get over the hump to win a conference title.

“I’m hoping to just bring another positive attitude and supportive attitude that I can spread to my teammates, and I’m hoping to be someone that can step up wherever coaches need me to be,” Lajza said. “IC is a leader in the Liberty League, and I’m excited to be a part of that level of competition. I think the men’s team is shaping up to be a real contender to take down RIT.”

Lajza’s main event in college will be the 100-yard butterfly, which was his bread and butter with the Bobcats. Last year, he broke the Lansing school, Lansing pool, Watkins Glen pool and IAC meet record and qualified for states in the event for the third straight year. He attributes his dominance in the 100 fly to his fellow competitors.

“[It’s] watching others compete in the event and just seeing where they push ahead compared to the people they swim against and trying to implement that into my own stroke,” Lajza said. “I think the best example of that was last year. There was someone I swam against a lot where his underwaters were insane, like practically disqualifying himself by going too far every time. So I saw that, and I wanted to get to that point where I could improve my underwaters.”

Lajza has not only honed in on his technical and physical attributes throughout his illustrious high school career, he has also fortified the mental aspect of the sport.

“On a mental level, I think a big part that I’ve improved on since freshman year is going into every single meet, every single race, every turn, even with a positive mentality,” Lajza said. “Staying positive and keeping doubt out of my mind has been something that I’ve gotten a lot better at and has gotten me to where I am today.”

Lajza also credited his coaches for helping become such a prolific swimmer, including longtime head coach Diane Hicks-Hughes and his assistant coach (and father) Dan Lajza.

“Coach Hicks-Hughes has definitely been a huge motivator throughout my high school swimming career,” Lajza said. “She’s kept me accountable in my training and especially this past year in my responsibilities as a captain. She just has so much knowledge and experience. There’s really no one like her.”

“Having my dad on deck with me was really beneficial in that he knows me thoroughly,” Lajza continued. “[He knows] my strengths, my weaknesses. He knows where to push me and where to back off. He was a swimmer himself. He swam fly in high school, and having someone who both knew me and knew the sport right there to coach me was really great for figuring out what worked for me in training and even within my technique.”

As Lajza enters the next chapter of his swimming career, one thing’s for certain: the legacy he leaves behind at Lansing will be a lasting one with his name written all over the records books.

“Lansing has been a leader in sports for forever,” Lajza said. “I hope that my success in swimming will bring more attention to the sport, and I hope that younger kids will see that and see what they can accomplish in the pool. I remember when I was little, I would look up at that record board and tell myself, ‘I’m going to break that fly record someday.’ And that’s what has driven me to do that and keep swimming and keep improving.”