It’s not everyday that the Pingry community has not one but two alums competing in the Olympics, but then again, Matt Fallon ’21 and Nic Fink ’11 are not ones to bring the mundane of the everyday. Competing for glory in the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris—and with a hometown crowd in New Jersey, specifically Basking Ridge, New Jersey, rooting hard for them—Matt Fallon ’21 and Nic Fink ’11 both attended The Pingry School and competed on the school’s swim team, albeit ten years apart.

For Girls’ Varsity Swim team Head Coach Deirdre O’Mara, who coached both Matt and Nic when she was previously Assistant Coach for the Boys’ and Girls’ teams and Head Coach for the Boys’ Swim team, she remembers her former swimmers well—and she is not surprised by their incredible success.

Ms. O’Mara not only coached Nic, she was also his Biology teacher. “Nic was a very kind, generous person,” recalls Ms. O’Mara. “I always remember him as a gentle personality, curious, intelligent, and I remember watching him truly enjoy competing and having fun with his teammates.”

Matt Fallon was coached by Ms. O’Mara twice—once when he was in middle school and then again during his junior and senior years of high school. “Matt was always focused forward,” says Ms. O’Mara. “He took every swim and learned from each race and adapted to the next race. It was fun to watch that particular process.”

Now that he is competing in the Olympics, Matt is grateful for all the support from the Pingry community—both now and in the past. “While the vast majority of my preparation through high school took place with my club team…, Pingry was a point of excellence that was also very helpful,” he says. “I would highlight the great coaches Pingry has had, both in middle school and high school. Coaches Droste and O’Mara were themselves elite swimmers, knew the sport well, and provided helpful guidance throughout my high school career.”

And when it comes to competition, he found his experience at Pingry has proved to be invaluable to his training. “I would also say my teammates at Pingry were great,” he recalls. “The team was always highly supportive—and very good swimmers themselves! I had as much competition when I attended practices at Pingry as when I trained with my club team.”

For these former Pingry students and swimmers, they have the biggest races of their lives at these Olympic Games, and they have the steadfast support of their former teammates, coaches, and classmates who will be watching their races closely, cheering them on to the finish line.

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To contact the author: Sara Courtney, Communications Writer