Senior Salute: Andrew Elliott – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swim & Dive
Jan. 23, 2012
Columbus, Ohio –
With Senior Day fast approaching, OhioStateBuckeyes.com will take time to feature each Buckeye graduating this season. The senior members of the men’s swimming and diving team will be recognized Saturday, January 28, at a home tri-meet featuring Big Ten foes Penn State and Michigan.
Andrew Elliott proves that you can be one of the best inside the water, while showing the same hard work and effort outside. The NCAA All-American in the pool was also the first ever recipient of the Elite 88 award in men’s swimming and diving. This honor recognized the highest GPA among the 2010 NCAA championship participants. The senior Big Ten Champion took some time to reflect about his time at Ohio State.
“It has gone so fast, I can’t believe that I am looking at my last two months of collegiate swimming.” Elliott said. “I feel like I just got here. It has been everything I hoped it would have been. I wouldn’t trade anything in my time here for the world. I am excited to end the last two months on a good note.”
Coming from a family of swimmers (his dad and brother both swam), Elliott always had swimming in his mind. But his first love was for another winter sport.
“I always loved basketball growing up.” Elliott said. “I used swimming as my fallback sport. I started swimming one summer and I ended up being pretty good at it. I just kept swimming throughout high school until I met Bill (Wadley). I met coach and the staff at a summer camp at Ohio State. When July 1st came around and they could officially call, I got my call and the rest was history.”
History would be made a year later as Elliott initially set the Ohio State school record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 47.38; he was also a member of the Ohio State record-breaking 200 medley relay team as a freshman. In his sophomore year, he was named the team’s most improved swimmer as he qualified for NCAAs in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. He won his Big Ten championship in the 200 backstroke and took second in the 100 as a junior. Could a swimming future after college be in the works for the senior?
“I am going to hang up the goggles.” Elliott said. “I am going to be done swimming competitively; it has been a long twelve years. I am going to stick with the program though, I want to stay on and help the team. I am going to get my master’s in sports management.”
Whatever Andrew decides to do after college, he will surely succeed. The backstroker has left a legacy at Ohio State that is going to be hard to match.
