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It's a challenge for anyone to begin their first year at college, especially when they move away from home. It's another thing to go away to college in a different country 3,000 miles away from home. To go to college in another country as a student-athlete and break seven school records in their first year takes a pretty special person.
Chris McGuire, who is in his first year on the Binghamton swimming & diving team, is just that type of person. He arrived from Essex, England last summer and is on his way to becoming one of the most prolific swimmers in school history.
McGuire is no stranger to swimming accolades. He has competed at the British National Meet the past six years. He has swam in championship meets in countries such as China, Sweden and Italy. Still, since collegiate swimming was not prominent back home, McGuire decided to come to the United States to continue both his education and athletic career.
"There wasn't much of a college swimming program back home," he said. "I came to Binghamton for both the swimming and academics. This is a good school academically and the swimming program is improving (with the transition to Division I)."
Although he had a prolific career before college, McGuire did not know what to expect when he came to Binghamton.
"I really had no expectations when I started here," he said. "I was more curious because the season is much shorter and there are a lot more meets than what I was used to back home."
Another thing McGuire had to get adjusted to was swimming more races over a shorter period of time.
"Back home, the meets I competed in took a day or a weekend to finish since there were more swimmers," he said. "Here, it is much more intense because the meets take a couple of hours and you have to swim a lot more events. I have really learned to pace myself during a meet and it has helped make me a better swimmer."
With the swimming season on the verge of ending, McGuire has an excellent shot at winning both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events at the Metro Conference Championships. It would be a fitting way to cap what has already been a successful season. Still, what has made this year the most memorable for McGuire is how he has changed as a person as well as an athlete.
"I have become much more independent since I got here," he said. "I have learned how to make it on my own."
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