It has, however, been well worth the effort.

There are different strokes for different folks, and DeSorbo, Salisbury’s state champion swimmer (he turned in a 53:41 100-meter backstroke) has been rewarded for his relentless early rising and numbing workload with a full athletic scholarship to prestigious George Washington University. That’s a grant-in-aid that will be worth roughly $90,000 over four years.

“All those hours Andrew put in, well, they were a good investment,” said a beaming Don DeSorbo, Andrew’s father, who served as master of ceremonies for about 50 of Andrew’s friends, classmates, teachers and coaches —past, present and future — at Tuesday afternoon’s signing party at the Salisbury High library.

There was blue and yellow cake (in GW’s colors), Coke, chips and pickles. But mostly there were stories about DeSorbo, who was pushed into a swimming pool by his first coach, Phyllis Steimal, at age 4 and has dedicated himself to the sport ever since.

The most gratifying thing for Andrew on Thursday was the number of his classmates that turned out not just to eat, but to smile at him with pride and affection.

“It was a great to have friends who always understood how important swimming was to me,” said DeSorbo. “There were a lot of times when I couldn’t go out, because I was training for this or training for that. But they always stood by me. Without their support, I’d never have made it this far. They kept me going.”

DeSorbo offered a special thanks to among others, Rowan Aquatic Club coach Nikki Rosenbluth, his parents, friend Diane Cooley and RACtraining partners Mandy Huff and Ryan Starrett.

“Mandy and Ryan pushed me,” said DeSorbo. “Ryan and I kid each other a lot. Like let’s quit for just one day and see what it’s like. But he’s the one that kept me sane all those hours in the pool.”

DeSorbo decided on George Washington, which is located in the heart of Washington, D.C., after an October tour of the nation’s top academic institutions. He checked out Notre Dame, Brown, Yale and Johns Hopkins, among others.

“All of those places were academically amazing,” said DeSorbo. “And I could have seen myself going to school for four years at any one of them. But I fell in love with George Washington. WhenI went there I knew it was where I needed to go.”

DeSorbo is an excellent student, and will quickly tell you that becoming a national-caliber swimmer — as exciting as that ride has been — is not the be-all and end-all.

Earning a swimming scholarship was just the key to unlocking the door of educational opportunity. That door is wide open now. He’ll have the perfect chance to study his chosen field —international relations — just two blocks from the Capitol building.

Having already accomplished just about everything possible in high school swimming, DeSorbo had considered passing on the upcoming prep season and devoting all of his training time to the RAC, but new high school swim coach Tom Sexton convinced him to try to make one last splash in his senior season with the Hornets.

“Coach Sexton said he needed me to show him the ropes,” said DeSorbo with a chuckle.

Sexton couldn’t find a better role model. DeSorbo will be an example for Hornet swimmers just as he has been for dozens of aspiring swimmers at the RAC. Youngsters with dreams can look at DeSorbo, take note of the good things that have come his way, and see that the sacrifices required to be an elite swimmer can lead to real-world rewards.

DeSorbo says the faithful alarm clock will be making the trip when he heads to GW. He’ll still be getting up at 5 each day to train in college, because a carrot called the 2004 Olympics looms down the road.

“I want Olympic tickets, Andrew,” Rosenbluth reminded him playfully Tuesday.

“It’s a goal,” whispered DeSorbo. “The trial cuts aren’t that far off, and if it happens to be my day, who knows?”