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Bad break doesn’t stop Seton-La Salle swimmer

By Eleanor Bailey 5 min read
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Cullin Baker surfaces for air during a freestyle workout. The Seton-La Salle sophomore is on the cusp of breaking the school record in the 50-yard freestyle and has qualified for several events for the WPIAL championships set for March 4-5 at Pitt.

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Cullin Baker takes a break during a recent workout. The Seton-La Salle sophomore is in his first season of competitive swimming. After shattering his femur in a football, doctors told him he was through with contact sports and has since taken up swimming.

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Cullin Baker works on his kicks during a recent workout.

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Cullin Baker ranks among the top freestylers in Class AA of the WPIAL.

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Cullin Baker

Cullin Baker admits that he is inclined to injury. The Seton-La Salle sophomore has broken both of his arms because of football. His foot. His wrist. Today, three screws hold his femur in place.

“Yes,” he laughed. “I’m injury prone.”

Baker, however, doesn’t sulk about his setbacks. He channels them into successes.

“Cullin is a benchmark for students,” said SLS football coach Damon Rosol. “You never know what will happen and when it does, what good can come from it. Cullin found out. He’s making a name for himself. He has taken something negative and turned it into a positive.”

After shattering his left leg during the third game of the 2015 football season, doctors advised him to avoid contact sports. So, Baker switched to swimming. Currently, he ranks among the top freestylers in Class AA and is on the cusp of breaking the school record.

Baker never swam competitively, nor did he race for any organized club.

“What Cullen is doing is amazing,” said SLS swim coach Meloni DiPietro Guthoerl. “He is one of those kids who when you tell him to do something, then he does it. He shows up. He never complains. Never misses a practice. Is easy to get along with and fun to be with. He’s definitely been a pleasant surprise.”

For Baker, the unpleasant surprise came last fall. Nicknamed “Sweetness” by his teammates and coaches because they said he exhibited moves akin to Walter Payton, Baker carried the ball on a running play and as he neared the end zone was tackled. “Someone jumped on my back and my leg got pinned to the ground,” Baker explained. When he attempted to get back up and on his feet, he was unable to put weight on his left leg. Two teammates carried Baker off the field and an ambulance took him to Allegheny General Hospital. After X-rays and scans, doctors operated on the fracture. Baker spent three days in the hospital before he was released, regulated to crutches for a month and a half.

“At first, the pain wasn’t too bad. No worse than any other injury I’ve had,” Baker said. “But, I was a little scared. The doctors said no more contact sports. I didn’t know what I would do.”

Baker, who had played football since age 8, dove right into the pool after having a conversation with DiPietro Guthoerl, his biology teacher. “He talked to me about giving swimming a go,” she said.

A Brookline resident, who often swam at the Dormont pool with friends and family during the swimming months, Baker was a “natural.” “Rare but true,” added DiPietro Guthoerl.

Baker ranks as the fastest freestyler on the Rebels’ squad. Thus, he anchors the 200- as well as the 400-yard free relays, both of which have met the qualifying standards for the WPIAL Class AA championships set for March 3-4 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool. Baker will also swim the 50 free. Additionally, he is on the cusp of qualifying for the 100 free.

With a best-time of 23.99, Baker is a shade off the school record. In 2010, Steven Kavalir set the mark with a 22.8 time.

“By the end of the season, I see him breaking the record and being in the Top 20 of the WPIAL (for the 50 free),” said DiPietro Guthoerl. “Eventually, we see him going to states. Experience is what he lacks in the swimming world but he’s only a sophomore. So the sky’s the limit for him.”

Indeed, Baker places no limits on himself. Though the team practices once a day for two hours, the 16-year-old son of Heather and Chad Baker trains on his own at home. His land workout consists of push-ups, abs crunches and leg stretches to continue strengthening his limbs.

“Kicking is so important and I use my legs a lot (for my stroke),” he explained. “It usually feels fine at first but after a while, it hurts me a bit. So I just take a little break. Move my leg around and keep on going.

“My goals are to push myself to the limit,” Baker continued. “This year, I want to shave time off my 50 and qualify for the 100. Long range, my goals are to break the school record and hopefully shave time and swim in college.”

Because of his familiarity with emergency rooms and doctors, Baker plans to pursue a career in medicine. While he has yet to narrow his field of expertise or list of schools, Baker intends to aim high where water is concerned.

“Swimming is a good sport for me. There are no injuries in the water,” he said dryly. “I like it a lot. It’s a great team sport, especially with the relays. They’re more exciting than the individual races because there are more people to celebrate with when you win.”

Regardless of whether or not Baker ever returns to the gridiron, his coach considers him a winner. “We hate to lose Cullin as a football player,” Rosol said. “As time goes on, you never know. We’d welcome him back if that is what he wants to do. Kids should enjoy their high school careers and at a small school like ours we love to see kids participate in multiple sports.

“Obviously, he’s taken off with the swimming. But that’s not surprising. Cullin may be a quiet kid but he is a hard worker and he possesses good athletic skills. Though he was never the biggest kid, he never was afraid of anything. He wasn’t afraid to tackle. He didn’t fear getting hit.

“Cullin’s not afraid to fail,” Rosol continued. “If he hadn’t gotten on the team, then he would have tried something else. He’s that determined. He’s a great example of overcoming adversity.”

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