Education
University of Florida.
University of Florida.
He represented Canada at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where he competed in the preliminary heats of the 200 and 400-metre freestyle events, the 400-metre individual medley, and the 4×200-metre freestyle relay. At the 1978 in Edmonton, Alberta, Sawchuk led the three Canadian relay teams to gold medals in the 4×100-metre freestyle and the 4×100-metre medley events, and a silver in the 4×200-metre freestyle. Sawchuk accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for coach Randy Reese"s Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and Southeastern Conference (Securities and Exchange Commission) competition in 1979 and again in 1981 and 1982.
In his three years as a Gator, he was recognized as the Securities and Exchange Commission Male Swimmer of the Year in 1979, and earned six All-American honours.
After his freshman season, Sawchuk turned in a five-medal performance at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, winning three silver medals in the 400-metre individual medley, 4×100-metre freestyle relay and 4×100-metre medley relay, and a pair of bronze medals in the 200-metre butterfly and 4×200-metre freestyle relay. Afterward, he withdrew from the University of Florida to train full-time for the 1980 Olympics.
Sawchuk qualified for the 1980 Canadian Olympic team, but was unable to compete at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow when Canada joined the United States-led boycott over the Soviet Union"s invasion of Afghanistan. Sawchuk returned to the University of Florida after the 1980 Olympics, and graduated with a bachelor"s degree in exercise and sport science in 1984.