One of Bridgeport High School’s female swimmers of the year and Big 10 Conference first team member Becka Crandall signed today to accept an athletic scholarship to Fairmont State University.

 

“I’m really excited to swim on the collegiate level,” said Crandall, a four-year member of the Indian Swim Team where she excelled in a number of events, including long-distance freestyle.

 

At BHS, she swam under Coach Jan Grisso and Assistant Coach Jack Merinar. Marinar was on hand for today's signing. He said the Falcon Swim Team and Coach Pat Snively have something to look forward to.

 

“Becka’s talent is a tremendous physical gift and she has endurance and strength that are unusual for someone her age – and that has shown since she was a freshman all the way through to her senior year,” he said. “She takes that talent and she adds hard work and determination; all the things you look for as a coach. And that combination is tough to beat. It was hard to beat in high school and it will be tough to beat in college.”

 

Crandall also has a determination about her that will serve her well in college, Merinar said.

 

“There were times in her high school career that even with all the talent she has, things didn’t go exactly the way she planned,” he said. “As a coach, I’m always pleased to see an athlete get through that and come back stronger. She’s one of those people. That’s why I feel she has a lot of promise ahead of her.”

 

She also has a lot of memories and accomplishments behind her. As a freshman, she was named BB&T Swimmer of the Year and Bridgeport High School Rookie Swimmer of the Year. All four years at BHS, she earned All-County, Big Ten and Regional swim team honors. At this year's Big Ten, she and teammate Woody Cavallo were high point winners. 

 

At states, she gathered accolades each year of her high school career. Her freshman year, she placed second in 200-meter freestyle, fourth in 500-meter freestyle and her relay team placed third in 200-meter freestyle relay and sixth in 400-meter freestyle. The following year as a sophomore, she placed second in 500-free and fourth in 200-free. Her junior year, she was seventh in 200-free and ninth in 100-meter butterfly and this year, she placed sixth in 200-free and fifth in 500-free.

 

Crandall said she loved the support she and her teammates were able to provide to one another. As a freshman, she looked to upperclassmen for advice, guidance and the push she needed to succeed. As a senior, she was able to be on the other end of relationship.

 

“It was really cool to have that experience,” she said. 

 

Relays were here favorite events, yet she also loved the individual competitive aspect of high school swimming.

 

“It’s all on you and you really have to push yourself,” she said.

 

Crandall started swimming for Bridgeport Swim Team when she was four years old. Through that experience, she learned about the Fairmont Area Swim Team (FAST), where she has been a member for the past 13 years.

 

She said it’s not easy facing the water every single day, but swimming is an important part of who she is.

 

“I’d have to say that my favorite part of swimming would be the people you meet. I’ve made lifelong friends throughout swimming. Some that I met at the age of five, I still talk to,” she said.

 

She said FAST Swim Coach Matt Chapman and FSU Coach Pat Snively have both helped develop her swim talent through the years. She has known Snively – a longtime family friend - since she was a little girl. It kind of brings it all full circle to swim for him at FSU. She also really liked the campus.

 

“It’s close to home, but I still get to live on campus,” she said. “It’s a pretty campus and it’s small. It just seems like a good place for me.”

 

Crandall will study nursing at FSU, keeping her options open to a variety of potential medical professions. In any case, she hopes to work with children.

 

She regularly attends Connecting Point Community Church in Clarksburg where she helps with the church food-delivery program, helps teach Vacation Bible School and works with the North Central West Virginia Chysalis and Emmaeus program, which among other service projects, provides cooking and cleaning to those who need a helping hand.

 

Crandall signed today in the BHS library, where she was accompanied by her mom, Kathy Mayo; her dad, Mike Crandall; BHS Assistant Swim Coach Jack Merinar and FAST Coach Matt Chapman. She is also pictured above with Grisso, Merinar and Sarah Stallman, with whom she shared female swimmer of the year honors at BHS and with Woody Cavallo, high point winners at this year's Big Ten.