The length of the pool is the same.

But the stage is now much bigger.

In high school, all eyes were on him every time he dove into the pool.

College swimming was different. There were more challenges, and the talent level and competition were a huge upgrade.

But one thing has remained consistent, Danny Berlitz is still finding success.

Berlitz was king when he swam for Marian High School. He was a four-time PIAA Class 2A State Champion, and in his final high school meet at Bucknell University, he set a PIAA record in the 500-yard freestyle and was named Swimmer of the Meet.

Berlitz’s talent drew college offers from far and wide - east coast schools, west coast schools and southern schools - but when it came time to make his decision, the allure of Michigan was something Berlitz couldn’t pass up.

Berlitz recently completed his freshman year at Michigan and admitted that swimming for the Wolverines was a new experience that necessitated adjustments.

“It’s a big change, and it took some time to get used to it,” Berlitz said recently via a phone call. “I started slowly, but once I got going and my confidence level got better, I knew that I could compete.

“The Big 10 is so competitive, and my times early on weren’t where I wanted them to be or where my coaches wanted them to be, either. But I just had to regroup my approach ... from studying to weight training to so many other things. It was a lot of little things that can mean a big difference.”

Although the season ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic, Berlitz was getting better each and every swim meet in his main event - the 1,650-yard freestyle.

Berlitz’s dramatic improvement over the course of the season led to him swimming in the Big Ten Conference Meet in Ames, Iowa, and earning a berth to the NCAA Meet. That meet was scheduled for March 25-28 in Indianapolis, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 virus.

“All the experience you can get makes you better,” Berlitz said, knowing that the appearance in the big show was going to prepare him for his second season at Michigan. “The way I look at it, it’s like going to the PIAA state meet for the first time. You sort of suck in all the hoopla that you can, and when and if you get a chance to go back, you know what to expect.

“That’s the way I was approaching the NCAA meet. Once you’ve been there, you learn from it. That’s the tough part, because I would have known what it was like; instead I need to wait until next year, hopefully.”

During the Big 10 Championships in late February, Berlitz finished fourth in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 14:58.54; added a sixth place in the 400-yard IM (3:47.49) and a 28th in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:58.54).

“Yeah, it was a tough break with the virus canceling the NCAA Championships, but I learned a lot during the regular season,” Berlitz said.

He also improved a lot during the course of the season and continued to rake in awards.

Berlitz was recently named a winner of one of the “Most Improved” swimmer awards for the Michigan men’s team. In a video announcing the award, Wolverine assistant swim coach Sam Wensman said during the course of the season Berlitz improved his time by six seconds in the 500 free, by seven seconds in the 400 IM, and by an incredible 28 seconds in the mile (1,650). He also gave a special mention to Berlitz for qualifying for the NCAAs as a freshman.

“While I’m at home, I will be working out so that when we get back to class, I’ll be ready for my sophomore season,” said Berlitz. “I’m really looking forward to the season. We should be pretty good next year. We’ve got some great swimmers coming back and we’ve got a great incoming group of freshmen.”