On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, North Penn senior Aidan Faikish was recognized for committing to continue his swimming career at West Chester University.
Aidan Faikish – West Chester University (Swimming)
Major: Economics & Finance
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Towson, Pitt, Cal Bakersfield
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I chose West Chester because on my visit I went to the UDel vs West Chester meet, and just watching the team – how it operated, seeing coach Steve (Kuttruff) and coach Victor (Polyakov) and how they helped
the swimmers, it really was like North Penn, so I liked that. The campus is relatively new, the business building is pretty nice.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in swimming at the collegiate level? “Freshman year, I made states, so I’m like, ‘Okay, I might be good.’ I continued to work through high school, and at the end of junior year, I had to make a decision if I wanted to swim in college, and I did.”
Coach Jeff Faikish says: “I actually had the very distinct pleasure of being involved in Aidan’s life from birth. He is my nephew, and over the years, I have been able to watch Aidan grow and mature into a very fine young athlete. He’s a very strong team leader both in and out of the pool. In water polo, Aidan was one of those people that can change the course of a game through a play, through a defensive series, through any type of action where he can just rise up and be the greatest player you’ve ever seen in that moment. As a swimmer, he had the ability to improvise, to adapt and overcome the many challenges all of the seniors have faced throughout their career. Aidan was a 500 freestyler at states last year. He changed his events, and he swam the 200 IM where he finished fifth and the 100 breaststroke where he finished eighth at states this year. He was a key member of the 200 freestyle relay and our 400 freestyle relay. One of the most unique pieces to Aidan’s story is – he didn’t know it at the time, but this year our boys’ team won a state championship, and his two performances were the last two races that solidified a team victory. He had to finish his breaststroke legally, which seems easy unless you’re faced with the burden of having to do a task that difficult, and then he was the anchor leg of our 400 freestyle relay that took third, ultimately leading the team to a state championship this year. West Chester is getting an awesome athlete.”
About Aidan:
Favorite food: Beefaroni
Favorite movie: The Wolf of Wall Street
Favorite artist: Travis Scott
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