Perruquet's Competitive Edge Gleams in the Water

"I probably learned to swim before I could walk," she wrote in an e-mail. "My mom used to always take my sisters and brothers and me to the pool when we were little, so I was exposed to the water a lot. I fell in love with it."

Ever since then, Perruquet has been setting records and making history, and loving every minute of it.

Back at Danville Area High School, Perruquet set two state records and won five state titles.

Then, when she was deciding where to continue her record-setting career, it came down to two places.

"My final decision came down to Penn State and UNC," she wrote. "I loved everything about both of these schools. Penn State is close to my home, and I grew up swimming in their pool, so in the end, I decided that 10 years down the road, I wouldn't want to look back and say that I never tried anything new."

Obviously she chose UNC, and once she got here, she set the 200-yard freestyle record and swam on the record breaking 200 free relay and 400 medley relays in her first two years.

"I have wanted a school record since I got to Carolina and honestly didn't think I would get it so early last year, so breaking (the 200 freestyle record) at Nike Cup was a huge surprise," she said. "I didn't even see my time right away because all my teammates rushed over to the blocks to congratulate me, and I was walking on air for days afterward."

It's no wonder to the people who know her that Perruquet has set so many records.

They say it stems from her personality, that she's a fierce competitor who loves to set records and precedents.

"Whenever Jessi is the anchor on a relay, I never question that she'll give everything she's got plus 100 more," said UNC teammate and fellow co-captain Janna Turner. "She would do anything for this team, and whenever she swims you can just see this fire in her eyes and her willingness to win."

North Carolina coach Frank Comfort said he feels sorry for Perruquet's competition. Well, almost. "She's a competitor that I would never want to compete against because she just does everything in the pool to win," Comfort said.

Even in practice Perruquet finishes first.

"She always beats the guys in our group whenever we are doing fasts sets or swims, and it's just funny to see how they react when a girl beats them," Turner said. "If they beat her, though, she gets so mad. It's funny to watch her battle them out."

But that kind of drive is what has made Perruquet into such a great swimmer.

In the meet this past weekend, Perruquet took first in the 100, 200 and 400 freestyle events, swam on the winning 200 and 800 free relays and anchored the second-place 400 medley relay.

Talk about a competitor.

"Sometimes she's a handful to coach because she's a tremendous perfectionist and always wants to do her best," Comfort said. "That sense of winning and perfectionism is her biggest strength."

But Perruquet's competitive nature doesn't overshadow her personality.

"I love being captain and looking out for everybody on the team," Perruquet wrote. "Some of my teammates like to joke about me being such a 'nurturing' person, but I love that role and I hope that I do a good job motivating the team."

For Perruquet, who plans to try out for the 2004 Olympic team this summer, it looks like she could continue setting records in the future.

"She has obvious talent and obvious potential," Comfort said. "She's only to getting better."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.