On Tuesday, May 9, 2017, Upper Moreland senior Michael Cebzanov was recognized for committing to continue his swimming career at Washington College. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/050917_signings_-_mjs
Michael Cebzanov – Washington College (Swimming)
Major: Statistics/Business Management with a Minor in Pre-Law
Reasons for choosing Washington College: “I was looking at a number of schools. I applied to eight colleges. I looked at some D2 schools, I had one or two D1 schools look at me, but what made Washington College the best fit for me – I went down there for the first time, and it just felt like home. The atmosphere made me feel like this is where I want to be. Another strong factor that made me want to be there was - the swim coach there was a 2004 Olympic Trial qualifier and finished high in his event that he swam. That was something that was really appealing to me, and it showed that this guy knows exactly what he’s doing and he knows how to get me to the best abilities that I can get to.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in swimming at the collegiate level? “Honestly, I was thinking about quitting swimming my sophomore year. Freshman year didn’t go too well for me. I didn’t make it to districts, and I missed out being part of the District One team that won the championship, and that kind of affected me a lot, but it made me work harder every year. It wasn’t until this year when I figured out I wanted to swim in college. I won the SOL for the 100 breaststroke which was honestly something I never dreamed that I’d be able to do. I remember I touched the wall and I looked at the clock. I just got excited that I got a 1:02 and made the district cut for (Class) AAA, and then I looked at the scoreboard and it says first place. I go nuts, I look to the side and everyone on my team is going nuts, and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe I did this.’ It was that same day that we broke the medley relay record for the school. It made me feel very confident as in – this is something I really want to do.”
Coach Jess Healy says: “Michael is a very hardworking individual. He has very clear goals for himself that he verbalizes to myself and his teammates and then shows an incredible amount of focus on achieving those goals. He was a very good role model for younger swimmers on the team. Michael’s most impressive moment this season was hitting his taper dead on at the conference meet and taking home the gold medal for breaststroke as well as dropping a number of seconds. He was also a part of the school record-breaking 200 medley relay. With the team being reclassified as AAA, Michael was able to step it up and earned himself a district qualifying time in breaststroke.
“He excels both in and out of the pool - he participated in a dual enrollment program which had him taking college level courses. He was able to balance both schoolwork and swimming which is a skill not many high school students are well equipped with.”
About Michael:
Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo
Favorite movie: “The Fate of the Furious & Mark Wahlberg’s Invincible because it showed that someone from nothing could come up and actually become something. I just find that so motivational that nothing can hold you back if you put your mind to it.”
Favorite music: Classic Rock
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