Swimmer of the Year Haigh chooses Penn

When it came time to choose a college, Matt Haigh wasn’t just looking for an athletic fit. His emphasis was on finding something that served all his needs.

That’s why the University of Pennsylvania, which has a program that allows Haigh to pursue a degree in electrical engineering, secured the commitment of the 2014-15 Daily Times boys swimmer of the year.

“Basically it came down to that Penn was the school that can and will challenge me academically and athletically,” the Haverford School senior said Thursday.

Penn won out in the search for Haigh’s services over Lehigh and Drexel. Staying local was a priority for Haigh, as was a marriage of academic and aquatic excellence.

Haigh had a breakout season as a junior after being named an All-Delco as a sophomore. He broke the Delaware County record for the 500 freestyle, set in 1984 by Haverford High’s Bob Gavin, by clocking in at 4:29.49 at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships. Haigh also swam the anchor leg of the Fords’ 400 freestyle relay, which set a county record by nearly two seconds in helping the Fords finish second in the team competition, the program’s best ever Easterns finish.

Haigh follows in the footsteps of 2012-13 boys swimmer of the year Jimmy Jameson, a junior at Penn. He joins a long line of recent Fords – including 2015 grad Ben Nelligan (Fairfield) and 2012 grads Andrew Helber (Princeton) and Connor O’Prey (Pittsburgh) – matriculating to Division I programs. He’s ranked the fourth-best prospect in the state of Pennsylvania in the class of 2016 by CollegeSwimming.com and 45th in the nation.

The high school slate of events captures only part of Haigh’s ability, as he’s medaled nationally at much longer distances. Representing Ridley YMCA, Haigh finished second and third in the 800 free at the last two YMCA Long Course Nationals along and third in the 1500 last summer. He slotted in fourth and fifth in the 1650 free at YMCA Short Course Nationals the last two years.

His short-course times from Easterns (like a 45.90 in the 100 free and 1:39.93 in the 200) make him a contender for relay spots. His fastest 500 free time is 4:26.98, while his 1650 personal-best checks in at 15:26.47 and his 1500 (meters) is 16:01.54.

Mostly, Haigh is relieved to get the decision out of the way. He didn’t play water polo this fall for the Fords, the first time in his high school career he’s eschewed that activity (though he cut his junior polo season short), and with college squared away, he can shift focus to his final high school season.

“It’s definitely a lot less stress now, having decided where I want to go and having that settled,” he said. “Now I can get concentrate on my grades and then later on the swim season.”