Annie Fagan Reflects on Her Brilliant Career

BY HALLE FRISCO

Staff Writer

Senior swimming standout Annie Fagan shattered ESU’s swimming records left and right during her senior season.

Fagan currently holds two individual race records and three relay record times. She holds the 50-yard freestyle record with a time of 23.87, which she set in 2017. She also holds the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.71 seconds, which she set this year.

In addition, she was a part of the 2018 freestyle relay team that set records in both the 200-yard (1:37.49 seconds) and 400-yard (3:33.70 seconds) events.

The relay team for both events were Annie Fagan, Colleen Dwyer, Olivia Lukshides and Briana Hall. The medley relay team set a school record in the 200-yard event with a time of 1:48.02 seconds in 2018. The medley relay team is Annie Fagan, Colleen Dwyer, Kate Zimmerman and Briana Hall.

“I knew that having my all-star relay teams back with me meant some records were going to be shattered. Myself, along with my teammates Colleen Dwyer, Allison Cardow and Kate Zimmerman, have been our strong medley relay [team] since our freshman year,” said Fagan.

This season, Fagan was co-captain alongside seniors Colleen Dwyer and Allison Cardow.

“Being a leader was an amazing opportunity for us seniors to make the dynamic fun yet hardworking and basically gave us the power to make a true team in a very individualistic sport,” said Fagan.

Brie Globig is Head Coach of Women’s Swimming.

Globig said, “Annie is a very hard worker and brings positive energy to the team. She loves to swim and loves to race.”

“She helped to improve the success of our relay team and lowered her times each year,” stated Globig.

“She increased the success of our sprint group, and she maintained a positive example at practice and at meets,” said Globig.

The women’s swim team wrapped up their season on Feb. 24, 2018 on the final day of the PSAC Championships.

The performance was the best the school has seen in over fifteen years.

Fagan was prepared to break her own personal records and try to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Fagan had missed NCAA qualifying times by an inch during her junior year.

Eager to get back to the PSAC Championships, Fagan worked all summer and all season to try to make a national qualifying time. Unfortunately, Fagan was just shy of the qualifying time in the 50-yard freestyle.

“My 50-yard freestyle race turned out to be my fastest prelim time ever, and my finals time was my second fastest time after my national cut,” said Fagan.

“I did end up time trialing my 50-yard freestyle and missing the nationals’ cut by 0.01 [of a second], but I tried my best and left it all in the pool,” said Fagan.

The team finished in seventh place at the 2018 PSAC Championships ahead of Edinboro University. West Chester University took first place and claimed their twelfth straight PSAC title.

“Swimming for ESU was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I am very fortunate that I was able to have the drive to pursue athletics in college and really challenge myself physically to prove that anything is possible. I can now go on in my life knowing that I achieved something amazing,” said Fagan.

Fagan, who is from Rockville, Md., is majoring in athletic training with a minor in sport and exercise psychology.

She plans to pursue a master’s degree in athletic training at A.T. Still University, and then become an athletic trainer for the military or for a team in Major League Baseball.

Email Halle at:

hfrisco@live.esu.edu