When you’re a child, the world can seem very big and open. The limits we believe we can surpass at that age are actually beyond what we can imagine. Not only do we take these ambitions and use them as fuel for our lives, but also as motivation to teach ourselves new things. These ingredients have been the case for Anthony Sanchez, FCRH ’29, as a breakout member of the Fordham University swim team this year.
His passion for the sport of swimming dates back to his childhood. “I started swimming when I was 10 years old,” Sanchez said. “I set records at my high school and because of that, I decided to swim in college.” In his developing years, Sanchez always knew that he had a passion for swimming. By immersing himself in the sport and culture of swimming, he was able to better understand the courage and determination that were required to further his career in the water. As seen throughout his high-school swimming career, he broke records in the 100-yard breaststroke, the 200-medley relay and the 400-freestyle relay, respectively.
When Sanchez decided to join the Fordham swim team he was worried about living up to the expectations of the accomplished Head Coach Tom Wilkens. However, Sanchez now credits Wilkens as one of the most caring and welcoming coaches he’s ever swam for, despite all his high school achievements. “He’s one of the most down-to-earth, caring, empathetic, coaches I’ve ever had the privilege to learn and swim under,” Sanchez said.
For his first season, Sanchez successfully contributed to the team in many ways. . Although the Rams went 3-7 over the season, Sanchez contributed by setting various best times, which was a display of his work ethic and efforts. In his 400-yard individual medley, he posted a time of 4:11seconds? and for his 200-yard breaststroke time, he posted a time of 2:11 seconds.
One of his major breakout performances this year came during the Rams’ dual meet against The College of New Jersey Athletics, where he recorded an impressive 59.81 seconds? in the 100-yard breaststroke and a 2:18.56 seed time in the 200-yard breaststroke. This contributed massively to a 155-139 victory over the Athletics.
As these milestones for Sanchez continued to pile up, he eventually became more well-known around campus and the metropolitan area as a phenomenon in the sport of swimming. However, even with all this success, Sanchez is just taking it one step at a time and enjoying the process.
Despite all his accolades and recognition he received, Sanchez is still undecided about what he wants to do next. He is majoring in international relations on a pre-law track, with future ambitions to apply to law school.
“For me, what I really want right now is to be the best I can be at Fordham and then move on up from there,” he said. “As both an honors and pre-law student, I hope to attend Columbia Law School in the future.”
Success can follow one anywhere in the world, and that same standard of rigor and determination can be the deciding factor in how one maneuvers in a different field. These ambitions are not exclusive to any one person, but Sanchez’s perspective is very unique. Given the fact that his father is a dual citizen of both the United States and the Philippines, he has given credence to the idea of swimming internationally and representing that country. “My father is from the Philippines and was born and raised in Manila, so a dream I have is that through my dual citizenship, possibly competing for them on a national stage,” he shared.
Through a sustained effort and the community at Fordham University, Sanchez has been able to find a comfortable place. Although the Fordham Ram swim team is done for this season, it will be very interesting to see how they and Sanchez perform next season. However, for now, Sanchez is grateful to the people who believed in him and helped propel him to the man and place he is in today. It will be exciting to see where he goes from here and how he continues to contribute to the swim program!
