Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Camel of the Edition is a series that seeks to highlight extraordinary Connecticut College athletes who have stood out from the herd due to their recent performances or as a leader on campus or on their team.
Evan Lyons ‘27 recently earned All-American Honors by virtue of placing fifth in the 1,650 freestyle at the NCAA DIII Swimming National Championships. The long-distance swimmer from Longmeadow, MA was a key contributor to a historic season for the Men’s Swimming and Diving Program as they finished 15th as a team at Nationals. Lyons led the Camels with the fastest times in the 500, 1000, and 1650m freestyle events. He scored the second most points of any swimmer at the NESCAC Conference Championships with wins in the 1000 and 1650m freestyle events and second place performances in the 400m IM and 800m freestyle relay. Lyons is also a middle-distance and long distance runner for the Men’s Outdoor Track and Field team.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with Lyons to hear about how he started swimming, how he improved upon last year’s showing at Nationals, and what goals he has for his senior swim season.
Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Evan Lyons from Longmeadow, MA. I’m a junior at Connecticut College studying Computer Science and Economics, and I’m a member of both the swim and track teams.
How did you start your swimming career? What was your experience like before college?
My aunt taught me how to swim at a young age, and I swam for local rec teams before getting more serious in middle school and high school. In high school, I competed for both a club team and my high school team, while also running track and cross country in the fall and spring. Being able to swim and run in high school was a great experience, and I’m really grateful to continue doing both in college.
Explain the recruitment process and why you ended up choosing to come to Conn.
During the recruitment process I was mainly looking for a school where I could swim at a high level and had good academics. Conn ended up exceeding my expectations, as I found it to be the perfect fit for me both academically and athletically. Being able to balance a double major in Computer Science and Economics while also being a member of both the swim team and track team is something that wouldn’t be possible at most other schools.
You qualified for Nationals Last year but this year you became an All American for the first time. What do you think was the difference maker for you this year in making the big jump from NCAA qualifier to All American
From last year to this year the main change was in preparation leading to nationals. Having the experience from the year before helped a lot, I knew what to expect and how to approach the meet. Overall, there weren’t any huge changes from last season to this season, mainly just building on what I’ve done each year and making small improvements. Having coaches and teammates that motivate me has been a big part of that consistency.
What was it like going to nationals and having your teammate competing with you and how did it feel being able to All American along side your teammates Carrick Shea and Julian Carlson
Having my teammates at nationals was a great experience. We were able to motivate one another and have success together throughout the meet. With teams from across the country competing, having a strong group made it less stressful and more fun. It was incredible watching Julian podium as a freshman and Carrick win the 200 breaststroke.
You won a pair of NESCAC titles in the lead up to Nationals, which were your first NESCAC titles in your career at Conn. Where do you think that stacks up relative to your other achievements like All American and do you think that you carried momentum from those titles into the National Meet.
A NESCAC title was something I have been working towards my entire time at Conn, so winning both the 1000 and 1650 freestyle really meant a lot. Also being able to share the moment with the rest of the team really made it special. Having both of those wins definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into nationals.
As you look forward to your final season at Conn next year, what goals do you have going forward and is there anything special you are eying next year?
Next year, I’m really focused on building on our team’s success. Over my time here, I’ve seen the team grow a lot in terms of depth and competitiveness, and I’m excited to see that continue. I’d love to see us qualify an even larger group for nationals and really establish ourselves as a top team at NCAAs. This year was really eye opening into what’s possible for the team, and has me extremely excited for what we can achieve. Individually, I’m aiming to continue dropping time and push for a NESCAC record.
