Senior Spotlight: Good times ahead for La Salle’s Goodyear

The pandemic made things tough for area swimmers, and made friendly waters hard to come by.
Due to safety restrictions, training indoors was not allowed for much of the preseason.
So Connor Goodyear and the rest of the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club headed outside.
“The team has done all they can to make sure we are able to train. With the weather getting cold, sometimes the temperature dropped below 20 degrees,” he said. “They got a brand-new heater to keep the pool warm. To keep in shape outside of the pool, I bought a weight set that I have been using at home, and going on runs in the mornings.”
Goodyear’s preparation for this season was like no other, and possibly the first big step in what could be a very special senior season at La Salle College High School.
“This season has definitely not started out like we had hoped, but I am still confident that we will be able to swim together as a team,” Goodyear said, as teams returned to practice earlier this week. “This year, my main goal is to bring the state championship trophy back to La Salle again.
“But more personally, I want to finish in the top five in both of my events at states. My last goal for this season is to leave my mark on La Salle, before the season ends. I want to get my name up on the record board and break one of our school’s pool records.”
The Explorers aim to defend their state title in Class 3A, and Goodyear helps provide a sturdy foundation.
Coach Stephen Duncheskie spoke of how “hardworking” Goodyear is, and referred to his “sheer determination.”
He helps set the pace for a determined Explorer group.

“I can speak for the whole team here and say we are all very excited to be the defending state champions,” Goodyear said. “I am very confident in the team we have this year and know we have the strength to win for a second year in a row.”
Backstory >> Goodyear first started swimming when he was five years old and hasn’t stopped.
“I instantly fell in love with the sport,” he said. “From a young age, I knew that swimming in college was something that I wanted to do. Waking up at 4:45 to go to morning practice definitely gets hard, but I would always think about swimming at a Division I school to keep me going.
“I go into every practice thinking about my goals and try and get the most out of every little thing I can. I recently committed to Lehigh University and I am excited for the next step in my career.”

Lehigh is currently pushing towards what it hopes is a strong season in the Patriot League. 
Branching out >> Goodyear kept busy in multiple ways during the shutdown.
“I was able to spend more time doing things I didn’t have much time to before,” he said, “such as cooking dinner for my family. I have also had the opportunity to go skiing, which is something that I love to do but wasn’t able to do during the typical high school season.”
Special place >> As a high school senior, there’s no other place that Goodyear would rather be.
“La Salle is definitely a special environment,” the senior said. “Throughout the whole school, everyone treats each other like brothers. But on the swim team, it is even better. It is like a family.
“We spend so much time together – practices before and after school – that we become very close. The team always sits together at lunch and is always doing things together, both in and out of school.”