By his own admission, Kyle Flynn isn't much of a swimmer. However, he found out this summer that he's good enough at the activity to save a life.

Like all the Midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Flynn, a sophomore forward/
midfielder for the Mariners soccer team, is required to complete a swimming course.

Some of the Midshipmen take to the water like fish, and some don't. Flynn was one of students who didn't.

Still, he passed his remedial course during his freshman year and when it came time to put his modest aquatic skills to the test, he passed again in a more important way than any grade he could receive.

Flynn never planned to do anything heroic while spending the day on a lake near his hometown of Poughquag, New York. While hanging with a group of friends and acquaintances on a boat in late July, a female member in the party decided to take a swim. The leisurely day turned serious when cramps in her legs set in.

"About five minutes passed, and we saw her out there splashing around,'' Flynn said. "We were kind of confused about what she was doing. When we realized she was in trouble, I grabbed a lifejacket and swam out there. Obviously with me not being that great of a swimmer, I know how it is to struggle out there. When I saw her struggling, I just jumped in.''

Flynn, who led the Mariners in scoring last season with 35 points (14 goals, seven assists), swam his way to the scene and gave his life vest to the woman to help her stay afloat. Unfortunately, his friends had trouble starting the boat, which had drifted around 50 feet away. That meant he had to tread water until the vessel could come by and pick them up.

"I'm not a very good swimmer at all so that part got me a little excited,'' Flynn said.

Eventually, everyone made it back to shore safely, and Flynn found out that his training at Merchant Marine can be put to use at a moment's notice.

Mariners soccer coach Michael Smolens wasn't surprised to hear Flynn's story when he reported back to campus last month to start his sophomore year.

"Our school offers a number of challenges, whether it's during your plebe year adjusting to the regiment or adjusting to your classes,'' Smolens said. "This was an incident where he knew what he had to do, and he did it. Obviously, the training proved valuable.''

According to Smolens, all Midshipmen are required to spend two separate stints at sea working on a sea vessel during their sophomore and junior years. The first assignment at sea lasts 100 days, and the second is 200 days.

Merchant Marine has an enrollment of 950, and about a quarter of the student body is at sea at any one time. This firsthand work experience, combined with the academic curriculum, offers a unique and challenging college experience.

"Our school is not a place for someone to go and fall in love with when you first get here,'' Smolens said. "It's a place that pays off long-term. Kyle is like all the students here who look at it that way. When he graduates he'll have a lot of options and he'll be successful.''

After graduation, Midshipmen can opt between entering a reserves unit or go on active duty in any branch of the military.

Flynn had never heard of the academy until he received a recruiting letter his junior year of high school. He did some research into the institution and decided it was the type of challenge he was searching for.

"I went online and checked it out,'' Flynn said. "I put it on the list of possible schools where I wanted to go. It all came together. It was hard to adjust to at the beginning. Now that I've been here a while I can tell it's the best thing for me.''

The Mariners also found a standout player, who was named the 2003 Skyline Conference rookie of the year, first-team all-conference and Merchant Marine male rookie-of-the-year.