PEKIN -- Pekin grad Adam Peterson survived a turbulent season last year with the Western Illinois men's swimming and diving team.<\/p>\n
Two coaches were fired. A graduate assistant ran the team on two occasions.<\/p>\n
Peterson stayed focused through the upheaval, setting school records in the 50 freestyle (:20.08) and 100 freestyle (:44.57) in February at the Summit League championships in Sioux Falls, S.D.<\/p>\n
The sophomore earned All-Summit honors in the 50 freestyle and 200 medley relay, finishing in third place in both events at the league championships.<\/p>\n
After getting assurances from Western Illinois administrators a few months ago that a new coach would be hired, the student-athletes on the mens swimming team were informed late last month that the program was suspended for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n
\"The decision to suspend was due to challenges related to COVID-19, which impacted the search for a coach, recruitment, and the (athletic) department's budget,\" read a news release from the school.<\/p>\n
As for the future of the mens swimming team, \"The decision will be re-evaluated within the next year,\" according to the news release.<\/p>\n
The suspension stunned Peterson, not just because he wouldn't be able to swim this coming season for the Leathernecks.<\/p>\n
He has a dream to be a firefighter, he said, and Western Illinois is one of the few colleges in the country that offers a Division I swimming program and a fire science degree.<\/p>\n
\"I had a choice after I learned about the suspension. I could sit back and be sad, or go to work and find something better for me,\" Peterson said.<\/p>\n
He's certain he's found something better.<\/p>\n
Just eight days after Western Illinois' suspension announcement, Peterson announced he will be resuming his swimming career this coming season as a junior at IUPUI, a Division I program.<\/p>\n
Here's the translation for that long acronym: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
IUPUI was one of about 50 schools that Peterson contacted after the Western Illinois suspension. He seriously considered a commitment to about 10-15 of those schools.<\/p>\n
\"IUPUI was on my radar when I was looking into colleges coming out of high school,\" Peterson said. \"I wouldn't say I was on their radar, though.<\/p>\n
\"IUPUI has an amazing swimming facility. I saw it twice last season when we (Western Illinois) had meets there. Also, the swimming program there is well-funded.\"<\/p>\n
The Indiana University Natatorium, which seats 4,700 in its eight-lane, 50-meter competition pool and has an instructional pool, is indeed an amazing swimming facility.<\/p>\n
With room for additional seating of 1,500 on deck, it's the largest indoor pool in the U.S.<\/p>\n
It has hosted Division I men's and women's swimming and diving championships, USA Swimming, USA Diving and USA Synchronized Swimming championships, and 11 Olympic trials in swimming, diving and synchronized swimming.<\/p>\n
World records have been broken there.<\/p>\n
Peterson will major in public health management at his new school. While that's not fire science, it will allow him to stay on course to become a firefighter.<\/p>\n
Former standout Western Illinois swimmer (1996-2000) and ex-Peoria resident Damion Dennis is IUPUI's men's swimming coach.<\/p>\n
He got the Jaguars job in 2019 after an 11-year stint at West Virginia, where he was associate men's swimming coach.<\/p>\n
Breaststroke also is a Peterson specialty. He holds the Pekin school record in the 100 breaststroke (:59.06).<\/p>\n
His brother, Ryan Maas, is a former Pekin basketball player who played for Western Illinois.<\/p>\n
Steve Stein can be reached at (248) 224-2616 or stevestein21@yahoo.com<\/a>. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More here:<\/p>\n Pekins Peterson moves to IUPUI - Pekin Daily Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PEKIN -- Pekin grad Adam Peterson survived a turbulent season last year with the Western Illinois men's swimming and diving team. Two coaches were fired Continue reading