By Lauren Pinheiro, Photography Editor

“Brrring!” The sound of the whistle goes off as swimmer Brendan Burns jumps off the starting block at NCAA Divsion I Finals. At the meet he defended his title for  NCAA Champion in the 100-yard backstroke event.

Brendan Burns, a 2019 Conestoga alumnus and decorated swimmer, now competes at the Division I level for Indiana University (IU). He is a three-time NCAA champion, 22-time individual Big Ten champion, holds multiple team championship titles at Big Ten and All-American competitions and has multiple national high school records. Brendan Burns graduated from IU this spring and reflects on his transition from swimming at the Upper Main Line YMCA (UMLY) and Conestoga to competing at a competitive college level.

“I was very fortunate to receive a lot of offers from a lot of different schools, but ultimately (with choosing) IU, I think I got some really good advice, and basically it  was that you should go to a school where you see yourself outside of your classroom and outside of your sport,” Brendan Burns said.

Since he was six years old, Brendan Burns’ mother Heather Burns enjoyed seeing her son compete in summer swim leagues. Until he broke national high school records, she never thought that he would find a career in swimming as he was also heavily involved in baseball and hockey. When Brendan Burns was young, Heather Burns and her husband made sure to prioritize family time, personal well-being and academics over swimming.

“It’s a sport that’s filled with burnout and injury, so we really just tried to take it one (step) at a time and enjoy where we’re at, and we’re still doing that with both of our children. We made it very clear that at any point, they can stop,” Heather Burns said. “This is their journey; it’s not our journey.”

Brendan Burns attributes his success to ’Stoga and UMLY’s swim teams. The competitive environment and network of support he got from older mentors and coaches growing up helped him pursue his passion for swimming.

“I’ve done several different types of swimming in my life, like summer league swimming and college swimming and club swimming, but ’Stoga swim and high school swim, man, those were some of the most fun memories I’ve ever had in my life,” Brendan Burns said.

Brendan Burns plans to attend and partake in the Olympic trials in June at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Afterwards, he hopes to get a job in the sports industry to conclude his swimming career. He thanks older Conestoga alumni, like Brian McKenrick, who graduated in the Class of 2017 and Nic Graesser, who competed at the Division I level in college and graduated from Conestoga in 2012 as his mentors who inspired and guided him to progress in the sport. 

“I was really lucky to have a lot of great support at UMLY, at Conestoga and with my family,” Brendan Burns said. “I have been blessed to have had the success that I’ve had, and I feel like I should share that with everyone.”

Lauren Pinheiro can be reached at [email protected].