A marquis member of the Swarthmore men’s swim team, Horace Shew, a senior from Chicago, IL, has strongly aided the team’s successful start to the season. Placing first in three events in the team’s recent victory over Washington College and assisting his team’s success in Chicago this past weekend, Shew has proven to be an indispensable teammate. The Swarthmore men’s swim team will next participate in the Gettysburg Invitational on Dec. 3.
Anna Suh: What attracted you to Swarthmore’s swimming program?
Horace Shew: When I came and visited Swarthmore for SwatStruck during my senior year of high school, I spent most of my time around the team. I found that everyone on the team was really nice and welcoming and that it was a team where I could see myself fitting in. Also, when I met Coach Karin and Coach Sam for the first time, I got the sense that they not only cared about my times but also who I was as a person.
AS: What is your major and why?
HS: I’m a mathematics major with an emphasis in statistics. I enjoyed my math classes in high school and found that I really liked the courses here at Swarthmore. I’ve had so many positive experiences with the department and found that the coursework is really engaging.
AS: What are your personal and team goals for the season?
HS: It’s my last year at Swarthmore and on the team, so my personal goal is to enjoy it as much as possible! In terms of a team goal, I think it would be really cool if both the men’s and women’s teams won the Centennial Conference Championship this season.
AS: What is your favorite thing to do with the swim team outside of practices and meets?
HS: I love eating meals with the team after practices! The swim team has a lot of people with diverse interests, so conversations are always fun.
AS: What are your pre- and post-meet rituals?
HS: In the morning of a meet day, I usually jump in the pool for a quick warm-up before getting breakfast at Sharples. I usually eat the same thing before every meet: three eggs, a bowl of oatmeal, and a banana. For my post-meet ritual, if we are coming back from an away meet, we all usually eat dinner on the bus together. If it is a home meet, I generally like to eat dinner with my teammates somewhere off-campus.
AS: What is the most important lesson that you have learned from your time on the team?
HS: I think the most important lesson that I have learned from being a member of this team is the importance of teamwork and how fulfilling it is to achieve things together with other people. I love how committed everyone on the team is to the same goal.
AS: What has been your favorite memory from your career on the swim team?
HS: My favorite memory actually happened this past weekend. A bunch of us traveled to the University of Chicago for a meet and everybody swam super fast! It was fun to compete against some really good teams in Division III. I also grew up in Chicago and swam most of my high school meets in the University of Chicago pool, so it was nice to have a sort of “homecoming” in my last year and have my parents watch.
AS: Favorite class you’ve taken at Swat?
HS: Latin 11: Lyric, Pastoral, and Elegiac Poetry with Professor Mahoney has been my favorite class that I’ve taken at Swarthmore. I took it my freshman fall after taking four years of Latin in high school and really enjoyed the poetry we read. Professor Mahoney did a great job making the class engaging and having everyone be involved.
AS: Favorite place to study?
HS: I really like the second floor of McCabe, it’s really bright and I feel like I can get a lot of work done there.
