Senior captain Jerry Crowley is one of the main forces driving the early success of the swimming and diving team. He was named Athlete of the Week by NYU Athletics for the week of Nov. 9, about a month into the season. Thus far, the Violets have an impressive 6-0 record and have won in convincing fashion.

Crowley, a CAS senior, is majoring in computer science and double minoring in business studies and web programming and application. He has had a passion for swimming since an early age and has taken the time to cultivate his specialties in the pool.

“I’ve been swimming competitively since I was around 8 years old,” he said. “I specialize in sprint freestyle and butterfly, so I mainly swim the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle, and the 50- and 100-yard butterfly.”

In a team of about 70 swimmers, it can be easy to blend in and ride the success of the team as a whole. But Crowley has stood out, especially in his junior campaign when he set the Palladium Natatorium record in the 50-yard freestyle and earned UAA Athlete of the Week four times. He also earned Honorable Mention All-America Honors.

Looking forward to this season, Crowley has lofty goals, both for the team and for himself.

“I see winning the UAA championship as a huge possibility for this team,” he said. “I also hope to send as many kids as possible to NCAAs, where I think we can place in the top 10 this year. Personally I just want to score as many points as I can for the team in both the UAA and NCAA championships.”

Crowley has also made countless memories with his “one huge happy family,” which have made his experiences at NYU much more enjoyable. Crowley said one of his favorite moments was during a team retreat to Florida  in his freshman year, which gave him the opportunity to bond with fellow swimmers.

In the world outside the pool, Crowley spends some of his free time studying cars. He is a self-proclaimed car nut who enjoys tinkering and fixing things from his iPhone all the way to the ’67 Jaguar XKE.

Crowley is just one of the many great personalities in NYU Athletics to attain the big “C” for captain. His swimming and diving team hits the pool next on Dec. 5, when they travel to East Meadow, New York to compete in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Nov. 18 print edition. Email Bobby Wagner at [email protected].