ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Antonie Pieterse has been turning heads since the moment that he arrived on the Roberts Wesleyan University campus.
Pieterse, a native of Pretoria, South Africa, had a record-breaking freshman season with the Redhawks' swimming and diving team in 2024-25 and is off to a fast start this fall having set school records in the 50-yard freestyle, 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke while swimming on the record-setting 400 freestyle and medley relays in November.
Pieterse, who was coming off an illness, also set three pool records (50 butterfly, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle) at Nazareth University on Nov. 15. The marks were significant because Nazareth's pool measures in meters and the performance improved his national rankings in South Africa, where he ranks second in the 100-meter butterfly and fourth in the 50-meter butterfly.
Pieterse is participating in a co-op program where he is studies Physics at Roberts Wesleyan while also pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace at Rochester Institute of Technology. He carries a 3.93 grade-point average and has been selected the Roberts Wesleyan University Male Scholar-Athlete of the Month.
Pieterse, who will compete in the 100 butterfly at the Toyota U.S. Championships this week in Austin, Texas, traveled to Wales over the summer to represent South Africa in the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships, where he placed in several events.
Pieterse, who owns 15 school records, including 10 individual marks, spent a few moments discussing life as a student-athlete at Roberts. His answers have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Do you have a favorite stroke?
"It's definitely the butterfly. It's a very difficult stroke. It's very intricate in rhythm and pacing and requires a big balance between explosiveness, timing and precision. Everything is very intricate and when someone does everything together, it just looks so effortless. I've been privileged enough to have it feel a little effortless as well, which is a very great feeling, if you don't swim it for a while, it definitely doesn't feel like it anymore. So, it's definitely butterfly, and then freestyle has been very fun to swim. Freestyle wasn't always a stroke I was all that great in and for some reason it's been getting better. I'm hoping to swim a little bit more of the 200 freestyle as the season progresses."
Last season you made history as the first swimmer from Roberts to go to nationals and become an All-American. When you look back on that now, what was the most special to you about that accomplishment?
"I think that a lot of things happened from when I first came to America to when I qualified for nationals and then got invited to go. There were a lot of things that, in my own opinion, should not have happened, like the amount of improvement that I saw last year and the times where I swam at nationals, where I was - once again - sadly sick. I remember saying to myself, 'You know, I can't control not being healthy. I can just control what I'm thinking about and what I'm doing, and if God wants to make it happen, who's going to stop him?' So, I was very honored that God has blessed me so much. It's been very special and I know I could not have done it on my own without God's help, and that is a constant reminder of how good he is and that he is with us."
You swam meters at Nazareth earlier this season. What were you hoping to do and were you able to accomplish it?
"Earlier in the season when I knew I had a meters meet, I wanted to rest up a bit and make sure I swim close to my converted personal bests to just show that I can still swim still in meters because if you're in South Africa and you hear about yard times, it doesn't really make all that much sense. So, I think to give myself and also people back home as well, a perspective of where I am right now. About three days before Nazareth, I went to the doctor because I couldn't get healthy. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and went on antibiotics. I didn't feel all that great, but God was still good and I was blessed to swim very, very well, unexpectedly. I did not think I would do as well as I did, but I'm very honored that I did."
The swimming and diving team created a calendar to raise funds for your training trip. Do you have any favorite pictures in the calendar?
"I love the one that me and the freshman boys from last year are in, that's in March. That's the group I came in with. Let me think, there's a lot of good ones. I like the one of the new freshman boys, all in their swim gear, the one where they're jumping, that one's good. I don't know what month that is, that might be like around August somewhere."
How much of a role does your faith play in your life?
"It plays a big role in my life. God's the best for all of us, and sometimes when we make our own plans, it ends up just hurting us. I mean, that's why I'm here and that's why I chose to come to America and leave my home. I felt God wanted me to come here, so it plays a pretty big role in my life."
What is your career aspiration?
"I've always found planes and jets and rockets very interesting. So, if I was one day able to work in an industry where I work with jet engines or planes, satellites, anything in that direction, I think it would be very interesting. I would love that."
What is your favorite thing about being at Roberts?
"My favorite part is definitely the people in the community at Roberts and around Roberts. I think that people are just so welcoming and very loving. It's definitely something that I think would people would struggle to find somewhere else, and people would struggle to leave that behind or to leave that after graduating. You walk around campus and you can know everyone and you can have a relationship with everyone. It's just a very tight-knit community, but it's so welcoming and caring. I love it."
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving side dish that you've had?
"I love the the mashed potatoes with gravy."
What does being a Redhawk mean to you?
"To me it means being a light wherever we go, whether that is in the classroom, on the field or on pool deck. It means being a good representation of Christ to the people around us and to people who know him and people who don't."
