Adamo Di Carlo ‘24 | Johnathon Logan ‘24
Photo courtesy of Jack Christian ’21
A talented swimmer and leader in and out of the pool, Jack Christian ‘21 is February’s Boys Athlete of the Month. Through practice and honing his skills, Christian has broken records and led the swim team to many victories. As a captain, Jack pushes the EA swim team to reach its full potential.
Christian began his swimming career thirteen years ago in his pool during the summer and became more competitive over time. He joined the EA swim team in freshman year and has been a star athlete ever since. During EA’s swimming off-season, Christian maintains his skill by contracting out of EA sports in the fall and spring seasons for swimming and training year-round at Upper Main Line YMCA.
EA swim coach Brian Kline says that “[Christian] is one of the most versatile swimmers on the team and is always willing to compete in any event. He is always one of the top scorers on the team and his leadership out of the pool is what makes him extra special.”
Christian’s incredible skill and hard work on the swim and dive team earned him a spot at Duke University. After talking to Duke this past winter, Christian received an offer from the prestigious university in May. Although Christian admits the recruiting process was stressful, he remembers finding out about his acceptance as “the best day of [his] life.” Christain credits Episcopal for preparing him for his next four years at Duke, saying, “the coaches and team environment here are awesome and the challenges of school [at Episcopal] have prepared me.” Kline adds, “While it will be hard to say goodbye to Jack, we are excited to see him move onto Duke University where he will also thrive in and out of the water.”
Christian’s favorite moment from his time on EA’s team is “winning the relay at Easterns, because our relay had been together for three years, so it was a great pay off after being together and working together for so long.” Regarding his favorite memory with Christian, Klein explains, “There is not one moment I can pinpoint with a person like Jack, as there are never any down moments. There is a constant energy that surrounds him, and his teammates perform at a higher level when they are with him.” He continues, “Moments that stand out would be his great expressions and energy that he gives off after an amazing swim or record breaking moment.”
A testament to Christian’s character in the pool, EA assistant swim coach Quincy Hyson says, “His consistent effort and hard work during our toughest sets serve as an example of how to find success.” He continues, “I would say, however, that Jack’s greatest impact on the team would be his performance in practice. His consistent effort and hard work during our toughest sets serve as an example of how to find success. Coaching is a lot easier and enjoyable when there are swimmers like Jack in the water. I’m constantly impressed with what he is able to do.”
Like Christian’s coaches, his teammates also admire the swimmer’s attitude and contributions to the team. Jared Semisch ‘21 shares, “Jack brings energy into every practice and meet, and never is there a time when the practice is dull.” Similarly, Jonathan Valdes ‘21 states, “First, he’s ridiculously fast, but he never puts the spotlight on himself and he’s always encouraging his teammates to finish out their set/races, and you’ll always see him cheering on the pool deck, even after he just swam a race.”
As both a senior and a captain of the team, Christian understands that “everyone will follow my mood, so I have to stay positive despite uncertainty.” During last February’s Eastern Interscholastic Swimming Championships, Christian and his teammates succeeded in breaking three EA records that Christian and his relay partners had previously set the year before. His record-breaking times include swimming the 200 free relay with a time of 1:25.69, the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:30.53, and the 400 free with a time of 3:01.75. Christian explains his reaction to breaking these records, saying, “it was super exciting because some of them, the medley and 400 free relay, were Delco records.”
Looking to the future, Christian explains, “At Duke, I am really looking forward to the new team environment and the team energy.” However, Christian admits, “I will miss all the coaches and fellow senior swimmers, and swimmers in general, because I have been swimming here for so long.”