Justin Rossi

Position:
Freestyle, Breaststroke, Individual Medley
Height:
6-3
Weight:
185
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Truckee, Calif.

Career Best Times: 1:39.49, 200 Free; 4:25.83, 500 Free; 9:18.97, 1000 Free; 15:33.10, 1650 Free; 3:53.51, 400 IM.

General: A versatile swimmer who adds tremendous depth to the freestyle and individual medley events for Carolina...can also swim breaststroke for the Tar Heels...three-time letterman...can swim sprint, middle distance and distance freestyle events as well as both 200 IM and 400 IM.

2000-2001: At the 2001 ACC Championships, he placed 10th in the 200 IM...placed fifth in the 200 free...swam the second leg on the 800 free relay which finished second and the anchor leg on the 400 free relay which placed fourth...named to Dean’s List in spring semester 2001...selected for 2001 ACC Academic Honor Roll.

1999-2000: At the 2000 ACC Championships, he finished seventh in the 200 free (1:39.49), seventh in the 500 free and 18th in the 1650 free…was also a member of UNC’s 800 free relay team that placed second at ACC’s.

1998-99: Shared the Jamerson Memorial Award as the squad's most improved swimmer...was one of three Tar Heels named to the 1999 All-ACC Men's Swimming Team and was the only UNC underclassman on that squad...had the top time on the team in the 500-yard freestyle (4:25.83) and in the 1650-yard freestyle (15:33.10)...was the runnerup at the 1999 ACC Championships in the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard individual medley, while finishing fourth in the 1650-yard freestyle, and was also a member of the 800 free relay team that placed third.

Prep: Graduated in 1998 from Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, Calif....was a tremendously versatile athlete there...played several sports throughout high school...the list includes skiing, soccer, snowboarding, mountain biking, rollerblading, water skiing and golf...holds high school sectional record in the 500-yard freestyle...his club team, the Terrapins Swim Team, won the 1997 United States Swimming Spring Senior National Championships team title...was team captain and most valuable performer on his high school swim team...also won department business award.

Personal: Given name is Justin Anthony Rossi...nicknames include "Scooter", "Rizzoto" and "Rosco"... is the son of Jim and Nancy Rossi...was born on May 20, 1980 in Walnut Creek, Calif....has one sister...enjoys working on his car, sleeping and wakeboarding...athletes he most admires are Barry Sanders, the Terrapin Swim Team senior group, Sean Palmer and Anna Kournikova...his biggest sports thrill was when the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl in 1994 because he is a huge 49ers fan...management & society major...would like to pursue a career as a sports agent.