(Andover, MA) – For the first time since 2016, Andrew Wilson ’12, a 2020 Tokyo Olympics Gold Medalist in swimming, returned home to Andover this weekend.
Andrew arrived at Andover in 2008. Athletically, he identified as a lacrosse player. After trying water polo in the Fall of 9th grade, Andrew joined the Boys’ Swimming Junior Varsity team. By the time he was a Senior, Andrew was among the strongest swimmers in New England. Unrecruited for college swimming, he walked onto the team at Emory University and quickly became a nationally recognized Division III swimmer.
After graduating from Emory as a NCAA Division III record-holder, Andrew became a professional swimmer and represented the United States at both the World Championships and the Pan Pacific Championships, where he helped establish a new American Record in the 400 Medley Relay. The COVID-19 Pandemic pushed the 2020 Olympics off one year, and Andrew, like so many elite swimmers, had to find pools and train in isolation. The efforts paid off, though, when Andrew not only became the first Division III swimmer to ever represent the United States at an Olympic Games but also earned a Gold Medal in the 400 Medley Relay.
Since the Olympics, Andrew has earned a master’s degree from Oxford University in mathematics, and he focuses on climate modeling.
During his visit to campus, Andrew spoke at All School Meeting of the connections between his evolving understandings of success and its connections to his sense of self and his mental health. The public remarks clearly resonated with the community, with students who identify as student-athletes and those who do not. After ASM, Andrew had lunch with the members of Morgan’s Message, a mental health advocacy group, and with varsity captains.
Later in the day, Andrew met separately with the members of the swimming teams and led their Friday night practice. On Saturday morning, he led a breaststroke clinic and then he helped coach the teams during the Deerfield meet.
It was a great couple of days for Andover Swimming.
