First-year Parker Chan at a recent practice. (Jonah Glass | Staff Photographer)

First-year swimmer Parker Chan has already made a big impact in the team’s first two meets of the season, being named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Men’s Swimming Athlete of the Week after both competitions. A distance freestyle specialist, Chan won the 1,000- and 500-yard freestyle events against the University of Chicago on Nov. 1 to add on to four race wins against Saint Louis University on Sept. 27. Chan sat down with Student Life to discuss his transition to collegiate swimming, pre-race routines, and goals for the season.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Student Life (SL): How did your journey with swimming get started? 

Parker Chan (PC): I started swimming when I was around three, just lessons, and then I first joined club around seven years old, and then just sort of club, high school. 

SL: And how did you make your decision, during recruitment, to come to WashU? 

PC: I really wanted to find a school that had a great mix of academics and athletics, and when looking around, I was talking to a lot of schools, and I found that WashU would be a good fit for me. Especially because the academics are great here, plus the athletics, and the swim team here, and that was a big part of my decision … I’d say choosing between [colleges] was a more difficult decision when you’re just going through the recruiting process and everything. But I’d say [head] coach Brad [Shively], he’s amazing, a great guy, he’s a very good coach.

SL: Let’s talk about this past weekend and the meet against UChicago. What were your overall thoughts about your performance?

PC: I was relatively happy with my performance, I thought, with the quick turnarounds between my races; my first race, my second race, I had about 20 minutes, and then I had an hour until my third race. Overall, I thought it was a pretty good performance. There were things I could have done better, but those are just things that I continue to work on. I really liked, also, just the team dynamic, being there with my teammates, everyone, not only having a good time, but putting in the work together. Just working as a team, getting to know these guys better after being here such a short amount of time. 

SL: And then how was it also to get a couple of wins and also be named UAA Athlete of the Week? 

PC: It’s cool. I’d say this meet was the second time I got UAA Athlete of the Week, last time against SLU. I’m definitely very appreciative that I’m able to do this. It’s a privilege to be able to swim, and in my mind, it’s just another step that I have to take in order to get where I want to be and keep going. 

SL: You’ve been at WashU for just a few months now. How has it been adjusting as a student and an athlete? 

PC: Being an athlete is a big responsibility, a big commitment on top of what we’re already doing. We have to put a ton of hours into a sport and managing it with school. I think, for me at least, being an athlete definitely helps with time management, and I’d say that overall, I know that as long as I stay on top of things, I’ll be able to get where I need to be, whether it’s my career in school or swimming.

SL: Do you have any individual goals or team goals for the next few years that you’re here? 

PC: I think I want to just become a bigger part of the team, become more of a leader, and also just keep working and getting to know these guys around me better. I feel like I’ve got a good start at that, but I definitely want to continue. The guys on the team are great, and everyone on the team in general is just great people. They all work hard. They all are here for a reason. I’d say, overall, that’s my main goal, just working with the team. 

SL: Do you have a pre-meet routine? Do you believe in any superstitions? Do you have a meal that you guys all share before meets or anything like that? 

PC: I think eating pasta is a good one, or any type of carb, just to make sure you have energy beforehand. Stretching out, doing the right things. Being relaxed. I think also having a laugh, talking to your friends is a great way to just get ready for your meet tomorrow. And even before the meet starts on the same day, just being relaxed, calm. I think that really helps.

SL: Do you have a favorite athlete or role model? 

PC: It’s kind of boring, but obviously I would say Michael Phelps, or any of these top swimmers you see today. They’re really great inspirations. I always try to take stuff from them. Just because they are the best.

SL: Do you have a favorite type of music or anything you listen to get hyped? A specific artist? 

PC: I mean to get hyped, I would just say rap. Nothing specific. I like some indie music. Tame Impala is a good one. 

SL: And then, this is a question we ask to every StudLife Athlete of the Week, but would you rather have fish for hands or adopt a child every time you heard the song “Bohemian Rhapsody”? 

PC: I mean, how often do you hear “Bohemian Rhapsody”? I might go with that one. Yeah. Adopt a child. 

2025-2026 Athlete of the Week Tracker: Adopt a Child 2. Fish for Hands 0.