Minnetonka High School Senior Spotlight: Noah Busch

“He holds himself to extraordinarily high standards, both in training and competition,” says Minnetonka Swim Club coach Ben Bartell of champion swimmer, Noah Busch. With a time of 49.14 seconds in the 100 backstroke at the state meet, Busch broke a Skippers’ record set by legendary swimmer Jeff Dragsten twenty years ago. He also set True Team records as part of the 400 free relay and in both the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Success started young for Busch, with a trip to state for the 100 back in eighth grade; since then he has been named All Conference and All-State for four years, and All American five times. Tony Mosser, Noah’s former coach and science teacher, says Noah is a “consummate teammate and natural leader” who encourages younger swimmers, works hard, and sets a positive tone.

Next year, Busch will swim for the Gophers, taking the same path as almost all of his coaches—and his parents. An AP Scholar, Busch was admitted to the Carlson School of Business, where he plans to major in accounting.

His stellar swimming career is the payoff for years of daily discipline: he works out 2.5 hours in the pool every weekday, swimming an average of 6,000 yards (or 3.4 miles) in each practice, year-round, in addition to strength and conditioning and weekend training. Swimming is not a solo venture, he says: “It is definitely about the team. If your team has a good atmosphere and you believe that you can do great things, there is nothing that can stop you.”