Snyder

GROVE CITY — When Drew Snyder decided to attend Grove City College, he wasn't sure if he would continue swimming.

Now he can't imagine college without it.

A 20-year-old Seneca Valley graduate and sophomore for the Wolverines, Snyder is a key member of a squad gaining national recognition.

He swam a leg on last year's 200-yard freestyle relay team that placed second with a time of 1 minute, 21.99 seconds at the NCAA Division III Championships.

That time broke the school record and helped the Wolverines place 13th in the nation, the program's best finish in more than 20 years.

But before Snyder could make an impact on Grove City's swimming team, he had to convince himself that he belonged there.

As he prepared for his senior year at Seneca Valley, the Harmony native already had decided to continue his education at the Mercer County college. But he was leaning toward not swimming for the Wolverines, even as his senior season for the Raiders was coming to a close.

"I was thinking about playing for the club volleyball team instead," Snyder said. "My last two years of swimming in high school, I did not get faster in any of my events. I asked myself if swimming was something I really wanted to do in college."

But Snyder's parents urged their son to give it a try. After all, he would be joining a Grove City program that had tallied 55 consecutive winning seasons and had 20 conference titles to its credit.

Snyder took his parents' advice and rode it to All-America status as a freshman last year. He earned that distinction in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 400 medley relay.

"I realized last January that I had made the right decision," he said. "We came back during Christmas break and the only people on campus were the basketball players and the swimmers. All we did was eat, sleep, train and hang out. It was a great time. Then, when I got to stand on the awards stand at nationals in March, that was something else."

Snyder also holds a share of school records in the 400 freestyle relay (3:04.98) and the 800 freestyle relay (6:59.36).

"Drew is a very hard worker," said Grove City coach Dave Fritz. "Whenever I challenge him in practice, he consistently rises to the occasion."

Snyder's individual accomplishments are also impressive.

He has been named Presidents' Athletic Conference Men's Swimmer of the Week numerous times over the last season and a half.

His personal records include 21.6 seconds in the 50 freestyle, 47.8 in the 100 freestyle and 1:46.29 in the 200 freestyle. He would be on the verge of setting program records in each of those events if it weren't for Wolverines junior Caleb Courage, who won the national 100 freestyle title last year.

Having a title-holder as a teammate can only help Snyder.

"It's incredible to be able to train with so much talent," Snyder said. "Whether it's just in practice or at the meets, we can push each other."

The sky seems to be the limit for Snyder, who still has the second half of his sophomore season that starts in mid-January.

"Obviously, we always want to win the conference," said Snyder, an electrical engineering major. "And I'd like to see us finish in the top 10 as a team at nationals.

"I love it here," he added. "I couldn't imagine college without swimming."