Article

Hannah Clegg

pipedream straps on the snorkel and goes bobbing for Bearcats - look who we found!
Jessica Hoesten - Staff Writer

Hannah Clegg

Pipe Dream looks into the swimming career of freshman Hannah Clegg, who after only three meets already made a significant change in the Binghamton University Bearcats’ scoreboard. She presently holds the BU women’s swimming records for the 200y backstroke and the 1OOy backstroke. From Hampshire, England, Hannah looks forward to the rest of her swimming career here at BU, and also into the future.

pipedream: How long have you been swimming competitively, and have your times improved much since you were younger?

Clegg: I started swimming competitively since I was about 10 or 11- I was pretty good when I started, but obviously with training, I got better.

pipedream: How does swimming here in the U.S. compare to back home? Are you happy with your performance so far here at BU?

Clegg: Well, swimming here is different because at home we swim long-course meters, as opposed to swimming short-course yards, like you do here in the U.S. I’m very happy with how I’m doing so far; I want to say that I’m swimming faster at this point in the season than I was last year or the year before. The competition here is also different. For example, there were three girls that I was accustomed to swimming against who made the Olympics. As opposed to my home club team, the swim team here is much more talented. I get along very well with both the men’s and women’s teams here.

pipedream: What wouid you say are some of your greatest personal achievements?

Clegg: When I was 11, I started swimming on a club team in my hometown. I then made the Hampshire County team for the first time, and then when I was 14, I made the England South team, which consists of people from all over the south of England. I qualified for the Commonwealth games trials in 1998, and placed 12th in my event, the backstroke. After the Commonwealth games, I qualified for Qlympic trials in the 50 and100 meter backstroke, and I ended up placing 12th in that as well. The person that places first in trials goes to the Olympics, and the second place goes as well, as long as they make the “magic” time, which is very fast.

pipedream: What do you see in your swimming future? Will you continue to swim competitively after you graduate BU?

Clegg: My coach at home wants me to swim in the Commonwealth games next year, if I qualify again. [Teammate Chris McGuire (sophomore from Essex, England) will be swimming as well, as long as he qualifies.] I will also start trainging for the Olympic Trials once again, which is in another couple of years.

pipedream: Why did you decide to come to school here at BU? How are things different here, as compared to England?

Clegg: I found out about Binghamton through Chris McGuire who I know from swimming with at home. I then got in touch with coach Benji Demotte, who showed interest in me, and well, here I am. I always wanted to come over to the U.S., and this was my chance.

pipedream: What do you want to do after graduation?

Clegg: I’m not quite sure what I want to do with my life as of now, but I know that I want to do something that has to do with computers, maybe computer science.

Class: Freshman

Event: Backstroke

Height: 5’10

Hometown: Hampshire, England

High school: Cams Hill