Swimming varsity as a freshman, he has already achieved a lot and is striving for even more.

Most people equate pools with summer and relaxation. For Ryan Durkan ’21, the thought of swimming means hard work and long hours of training.

He has been swimming since he was ten, which is a late start for most swimmers. However, Durkan has put in a lot of time and dedication to becoming the best swimmer that he can be.

“Swimming is my main sport and the pool is an important place for me,” Durkan said. “It’s one of the main reasons I came to Malvern.”

Durkan was immediately put on varsity, and began having an impact and bonding with his teammates really quickly.

“Everyone was happy and were very accepting of me,” Durkan stated. “It’s one of the most fun teams I’ve ever been on.”

Mr. Jay Schiller, the varsity swimming and diving coach, had a lot to do with bringing Durkan to Malvern.

“Coach Schiller was the one who taught me how to swim competitively,” Durkan said. “He spent a lot of time trying to get me to come here.”

In addition to having to adjust to a new team, Durkan has to adjust to a new school because he transferred to Malvern after the first semester of this year.

“It’s a little weird being new, but I’m happy that I’m here,” Durkan said. “It’s a much better fit and I love it here.”

Malvern feels much more comfortable than his old school and he is glad that he had the swim team to help him fit in right away.

“My old school was really tight and everything was super strict, and I’m glad that I’m here now and can learn a lot while still having fun,” Durkan said. “The swim team helped me meet people and then those people introduced me to more people.”

Durkan already has goals in mind for the coming years on the Malvern swim team.

“I want to break some of the school records, especially the 100 meter breaststroke record,” Durkan said. “I want to get good times and go to a good college for swimming.”

According to Schiller, Durkan is well on his ways to achieving his goals.

“He has worked very hard and he understands what it takes to compete at a higher level and has had a lot of success,” Schiller said. “He’s done a nice job of adjusting academically to Malvern as well.”

As for Durkan’s future, Schiller is very confident that he will find success.

“I think the sky’s the limit for him, he is already on track to break school records,” Schiller stated. “He can be an All-American, a school record holder, and an All-Inter-Ac athlete, and he is already competing at a collegiate level. He can certainly swim for a top Division 1 program in the future.”