At the beginning of the school year, senior swimming sensation Graham Risley accepted a scholarship to Penn State University. His final decision was ultimately between that and Northwestern, but in the end decided to sign with Penn State.
Risley was not permitted to release the exact details of his scholarship, but assured us that it was an extremely generous offer. He also noted that the percentage of money he’ll be saving for his education will gradually increase over his four years at Penn State.
“I’m really excited about swimming next year,” said Risley. “I’ve always wanted to swim in college, and I just can’t wait.”
In recent years, Penn State has had a fairly strong swimming program. For the upcoming season, they are ranked at #16 in the country for Division I. Risley says that he will be swimming mostly backstroke. Senior Pat Schirk currently swims the backstroke at Penn State, and Risley will certainly have some big shoes to fill. Last year, Schirk won the NCAA Championship for the 200 meter backstroke event with a phenomenal 1:41.02, making him the first ever swimmer from Penn State to win the national championship for an individual event. This being his last year at Penn State, Schirk is currently training to make the U.S. Olympic team.
Despite the fact that he’s still in high school, Risley has a stellar backstroke. In the 100 meter event, he has broken 50 seconds multiple times and after this season, it could improve considerably. No one will be surprised if Risley makes history during his time at Penn State.
--Submitted by Eddie Morrissey, News Manager |
