On Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, North Penn seniors Kaelan Daly and Maddie Fritz were recognized for committing to compete in swimming at the collegiate level. (Photos provided courtesy of North Penn High School/NPTV)
Kaelan Daly – University of Kentucky (Swimming)
Major: Biology on a Pre-Med track
Final list of colleges: Kentucky, Purdue, Columbia
Reasons for choosing Kentucky: “I ultimately chose Kentucky because I really liked the combination of academics, especially in the medical field, and their outstanding athletic success. Their team culture and their coaching staff just really spoke to me. I really felt like I was going to thrive there. It felt like home.”
Favorite swimming memory: “Last winter, our state meet got cut short because of COVID, and we were all upset in the morning when we found out finals were going to be cancelled, but at the end of the day, we came back during diving, and we ended up tying for the state title. We had a great bus ride home, and we had a team sleepover afterwards. I just remember that being the last normal day that we spent, and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with anyone but my teammates.”
Most important thing learned at North Penn: “Participating in North Penn athletics has given me a lot. Especially my teammates – they’ve become lifelong friends, and we’ve made so many memories together. I’ve also learned a lot about the sport. A lot of people think swimming is an individual sport, but I really learned just by pushing my teammates and having them push me every day at practice that it’s a team sport, and when we all succeed, we succeed together.”
Coach Jeff Faikish says: “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Kaelan since she was a baby. I knew her from a very, very young age, and I got to watch her grow and mature and become the special unique athlete she is now. She is probably one of the most versatile athletes that I have on the swim team. She can swim any event and be a district or state qualifier in any single event. It is a very unique thing about who Kaelan Daly is. She’s also extremely selfless. When presented with an opportunity to either swim in individual events or only be a part of relays at states, she chose the relay option, which is a very unique characteristic because a lot of people think swimming is an individual sport, but Kaelan was more than willing to step forward and be a team player as opposed to just an individual. Those team points help lead to state titles, so that’s why those relays are so important. Some of Kaelan’s accomplishments from last year – she was eighth in the 200 IM, eighth in the 100 free, she was part of our state champion 200 freestyle relay, and she was a part of our third place finishing 400 free relay.”
Maddie Fritz – University of New Hampshire (Swimming)
Major: Exercise Science
Final list of colleges: UNH, Ohio University, Drexel
Reasons for choosing UNH: “When I went on the campus this summer, I really felt at home, and their exercise science program is really good. I liked their team atmosphere, and their coaches were really good too.”
Favorite swimming memory: “My favorite memory was last year at districts. We were seeded 10th in the 400 free relay, and we ended up getting second, and that was really exciting.”
Most important thing learned at North Penn: “I learned a lot, but the biggest thing I learned is that goals and perseverance can get you anywhere in life.”
Coach Jeff Faikish says: “I’ve had the unique opportunity to coach Madison here at our North Penn Aquatic Club for many years. I’ve watched her grow, mature and gain a lot of success in the sport. One of the key characteristics I would mention about Madison would be her perseverance. Overcoming a plateau in any sport is a very difficult thing, but she put a lot of hard work and effort behind overcoming some plateaus, and last year she came through with some excellent finishes. She was part of our fourth place 200 medley relay at states, she finished 21st in the 200 IM, 10th in the 100 breaststroke, and she was part of our third place finishing 400 freestyle relay. The unique part about Madison is I think she’s got a lot of potential in the future, and the University of New Hampshire is going to have a stellar athlete coming their way.”
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