Standout Spartan: Noah Nichols '20

Congratulations to Noah Nichols ’20, who was selected as one of seven UVA swimmers to compete in the Pan American Games, which take place in October in Santiago, Chile. 

“This is an absolute honor,” said Mr. Nichols. “For a team to be able to place this many of its members onto an international team roster is very rare and exciting to see. This will be my first international competition in which I will be representing Team USA, and I could not be more humbled and honored.”

Mr. Nichols has spent the last three years (including the summers) living and training at UVA, with a goal of making the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. “Making the Pan American team has reaffirmed that goal,” he said. “My first year at UVA was a rude awakening in which I constantly wondered if I had what it took to remain a swimmer of this caliber. It didn’t take long for me to fall back in love with this sport solely because of the people I was surrounded by, including my teammates and coaches.” 

He continued, “My goals are no longer just personal but now team-oriented. I could write a paper on how culture plays a vital role in the success of any organization, whether that be athletic or not. I cannot stress enough how the culture of the UVA swim team has boosted not only my own success immensely but also the success of those around me.” 

A swimmer since the age of six, Mr. Nichols said, “I swim because of the people around me, the success I know that I can have, and the feeling I have when I get up on the blocks at a championship meet. I am confident in the work that I have put in to get me where I am now and to take me into the future. I love the feeling I have when I am in the water racing other people. It is something I have never found anywhere else.”