Senior freestyler Joao Mescolote moved to the United States from Brazil when he was only 14 years old. 
He has been living on his own for nearly ten years now, so he says leaving his LSU swimming family is difficult.
“It was definitely a bittersweet moment, but it’s also exciting,” Mescolote said. “But I’m ready to move on and start my life.”
Mescolote is a marketing major at LSU and he looks forward to making a splash in the world of business. 
Before his exit into the real world, Mescolote will be competing in the SEC Championships at Texas A&M in February.
Swimming coach Dave Geyer says their grueling meet schedule has not given the team much time to recover. 
“It’s gonna be rest,” Geyer said. “It’s gonna be backing off the intensity.”
The men wrapped up their season Saturday. The women will head to Houston to take on Rice University on January 27.