Author: Maya Liotta Staff Writer
Harry Stacey, a 24-year-old computer and electrical engineering major, is an incoming student who was recruited to swim for Colorado Mesa University (CMU). Before entering the pool for his first collegiate competition, Stacey competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He had been training in Ghana three years prior to the Olympics.
“It was a feeling of immense pride, as I got to represent my country at the pinnacle of my sport,” said Stacey. “It’s one of the best feelings on Earth and I couldn’t have been happier with the experience. I hope I made Ghana proud, and I hope I managed to inspire some people to get into the beautiful sport that is swimming,” said Stacey.
While there, Stacey stayed in the Olympic Village. Despite the disagreeable living conditions while staying in the city of lights, Stacey didn’t feel like he was at any significant disadvantage.
“The Olympic village was a surreal experience because you’re not going 10 seconds without seeing someone famous. My teammates and I would play a game to see if we could go 10 seconds without seeing someone we know or recognise, and we failed every time because we just kept seeing superstars. The beds were pretty uncomfortable as they were made of cardboard, and the mattresses were made of recyclable plastic. So it doesn’t make for a very comfortable experience. We also didn’t have [air conditioning], so in the [middle of] French summer, we were struggling to get any decent sleep. But it’s not like we were the only people dealing with that, as everyone had to deal with it. So you try to make the best of what you can. The food was what I would describe as varied and premium [cafeteria] food. We had a good variety of choices, and the quality was acceptable. I would say I didn’t have any negative experiences with the food, but I did hear that some others did, so I guess I got lucky,” said Stacey.
During his time there, Stacey was able to meet some incredible athletes a two-time American gold medalist in freestyle and medley swimming. While Dressel swims the 50-meter freestyle, Stacey still got to meet the superstar.
“As I am a swimmer, I got the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best swimmers in the world and the two main people that I got to meet was Caleb Dressel who’s possibly the most successful American Swimmer only behind Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky who’s possibly the greatest female swimmer ever,” said Stacey.
While Stacey was born in and competed for Ghana, he lived in Brighton, United Kingdom prior to his attendance at CMU. With living in the UK, Stacey gained an appreciation not only for the sport of tennis, but for those competing.
“I also got to meet Andy Murray, who is a British tennis player who’s arguably the best British tennis player to ever live. That was pretty special for me as I used to play tennis. So getting to meet one of my idols was something special,” said Stacey.
On July 30th, Stacey got to finally hit the pool. He finished with a time of 51.12 seconds, which was good for 52nd overall in Paris.
“The atmosphere on my race day was electric. The 100 meters freestyle is a big event. It’s one of the most watched events for swimming, so the arena was packed. There wasn’t a single empty seat and the crowd made for an insane atmosphere. I have never raced in front of that many people before and it was an unforgettable experience,” said Stacey.
Stacey now looks forward to the upcoming swim and dive season with the Mavericks. They’ll open up the 2024-25 campaign on October 4th, as CMU hosts the Intermountain Shootout.
