Northeast Times Feature Story | Philadelphia Daily News Feature Story

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle rising senior Blase Szyszko will swim the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska later this month. The Bensalem, Pa. native will swim the 100m breast on June 25 and the 200m breast on June 28. 

"The biggest thing for me is going [to the trials] and having fun because that's what it's been about my whole life," explained Szysko. "This is going to be a once in a lifetime experience. You only get one shot so I'm going to go in and have fun but I'm also going to go in and give it my all."

Szyszko qualified with a time of 1:04.68 in the 100m at the Princeton Olympic Trials Qualifying Meet on March 4, 2012. In the 200m breaststroke, he qualified with a time of 2:20.72 at the Middle Atlantic Senior Championships at Bucknell on July 22, 2011.

He is coming off an outstanding junior season in which he won both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the Atlantic 10 Championship, breaking a 22-year old school record in the 200 breast. 

In addition, Szyszko helped the 200-medley relay to a gold medal. The squad also broke a La Salle school record and made an NCAA “B” cut by swimming a 1:29.07.

Szyszko is also a Academic All-Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area selection and will serve his second year as the President of La Salle's Student-Athlete Advisory Board in 2012-13.

"[At La Salle] you don't have to just be an athlete," said Szysko. "Here, you're a student, and then an athlete. I've found one of the greatest opportunities here is being involved in so many different activities."

The La Salle College High School graduate will be profiled by the Philadelphia Daily News and Northeast Times this week.