Grand Rapids' Viren hopes to make sweet music at sections

Grand Rapids swim coach Jerry Casey is convinced that if Solveig Viren had dedicated herself to violin the way she has to swimming, the high school senior would have had a future in the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra.

"I feel if I had put more time into it, I could have made a career out of it," Viren said Wednesday. "But swimming is what I really like to do."

Instead, Viren has tucked away her stringed instrument in favor of a run at more state swimming titles.

She begins that quest today in the Section 7A preliminaries at Lincoln Park Middle School. Competition begins at 5:15 p.m. today, with the finals set for 3 p.m. Saturday.

Viren will compete in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles as well as two relays for the Thunderhawks. As a junior, she won the Class A 100 title in a personal-best 51.32 seconds and finished second in the 50 (23.51).

"I'm hoping to defend my title," she said. "I haven't seen other swimmers' seed times yet, so we will see how it goes. I just want to get my best times."

The 17-year-old has been playing violin since she was 5, when she heard string music on the radio and told her mother she wanted to learn how to play. She played in the Itasca Symphony Orchestra for a while and still plays at random events in the community and at her church.

But Viren, who also participates on the Nordic ski team, runs track and plays piano, is concentrating on swimming now. After six years on the varsity, she owns program records in nearly every stroke. She competes in the sprint freestyles at the state level only because those are her best events.

"Solveig's really built to be a 200 freestyler and 100 butterflyer," Casey said. "If we had trained her into being a diver, she probably would have broken those records, too."

NCAA Division I programs took note. Ivy League schools Harvard, Princeton and Yale showed interest as did the University of Minnesota. But, in a rather unusual move, she decided to call University of Wisconsin coaches on her own.

"I randomly decided to call Wisconsin and see if they would be interested in me," Viren said. "I started talking to them and looking into their academics, and I realized they had good academic programs. Then I went there on a (visit) and stayed with the team. I really liked the team atmosphere, the coaches and the campus, and I thought it was a good fit for me."

Viren made an oral commitment to the school last week.

"She struggled with where she wanted to go, but she liked the coaching staff and the feel of Wisconsin much more than the other schools," Casey said.

Owner of a 4.0-plus grade-point average that ranks No. 1 in her senior class, Viren plans to major in either chemistry or bio-chemistry before transferring to pre-med school.

Beyond the fast times and state titles, Viren may be most remembered for her dedication and willingness to practice long hours in the pool without complaint -- and for simply being a good person.

"She's been a fantastic role model in the pool, but even more so out of the pool," Casey said. "She's an excellent student -- No. 1 in her class. There is not one person who has said a negative word about her -- adults, students, swimmers from other schools, coaches from other schools. She's an extremely well-liked person, and that's what I like most about her."