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GREENSBORO — An NCAA championship has Eugene Godsoe ready to jump into higher-level national and international swimming competition.

"I've been ready to break out for, phew, four years," he said Monday during a layover on his trip back to Stanford from the meet in Ohio.

Godsoe, who graduated from Southeast Guilford in 2006 and whose parents, Gene and Yoko, live in Forest Oaks, won the 100 backstroke at the Division I swimming championship during the weekend. Godsoe also finished third in the 100 butterfly and 200 backstroke and swam on Stanford's 200- and 400-medley relays.

Next up for the swimmer is the USA Swimming National Championships starting Aug. 3 in Irvine, Calif.

"They're picking three or four international teams from that meet," Godsoe said, "and my short-term goal is to train for those and make an international team."

Godsoe hasn't determined how or where he'll train but said he could go overseas.

"I'm using that success to springboard on to a successful summer season," Godsoe said of the championship.

And while he also hopes to make the U.S. team for the 2012 London Olympics, Godsoe spent time this week reflecting on how he got here and what held him from breaking out sooner.

He went to Stanford as a freshman with one good arm, recovering from surgery for a shoulder injury. As a sophomore, he broke his hand.

He worked past those snags to graduate with a national championship. His 44.93 time in the 100 backstroke leg of the 400 medley relay set a Stanford school record and came within three-tenths of the U.S. record set by Ryan Lochte in 2006.

"That's probably the best feeling that goes along with the win," he said of the journey.

Kevin Thornton, head coach at the Greensboro Swimming Association, also helps coach Godsoe and said that many swimmers face injuries from overuse.

"It's not a party coming back from shoulder surgery," Thornton said. "It's a good six to eight months."

The two spoke after Godsoe won the title.

"If he continues his progression from the here and finds himself on one of the international trips, that experience is so invaluable," Thornton said.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com