A Mustang with a plan

Throughout his four years at Mullen that ended in 2017, Joseph Schwamm knew what he wanted.

A high-end college education was his bottom line. He also sought a chance to grow as a young adult. A place where he could blossom and use imagination to prepare for a career with meaning and fulfillment. And competing in swimming would be a bonus.

So the Littleton resident decided, of all places, on Collegeville, Minn., home of the very unique St. John’s University for men and College of Saint Benedict for women, a combination of large-scale opportunities in smaller-class sizes at fine liberal-arts institutions.

“Technically,” Schwamm recently said, “there are no scholarships for Division III, but the coach reached out to me, I knew I wanted it and it was a real good opportunity for strong academics.”

Living large in a whirlwind of college academics, swimming and leadership, Schwamm, whose family resides in Littleton, has absorbed the opportunities like a sponge, even studying abroad for a year.

“Having guys on the team like him is so great,” St. John’s head coach Ben Gill said.

Schwamm puts the well in well-rounded, having dived head first into all that the Johnnies offer.

Academically, he has been on the all-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team the past two seasons (grade-point average of 3.88) and the Dean’s List in six of his first seven semesters.

“I’ve really enjoyed the academics,” Schwamm said.

The economics major is due to graduate in May, has applied to graduate school, is open for employment in Denver and elsewhere, and may pursue public policy.

He also spent a fall semester studying in Austria, which he calls “the time of my life.”

Never mind that he returned to St. John’s over the holiday break as a junior and immediately jumped into grueling practices. And Schwamm didn’t blink.

“He made a great impression on me and I hadn’t even met him,” Gill said.

Schwamm become a team captain and his leadership was never more relevant than when the Johnnies originally cancelled a swim season that ordinarily lasts from October to March, but then was modified to approximately a month.

The breaststroker, who learned to respect the DIII level as a freshman, realized action was required. He was instrumental in organizing team members, keeping them together as well as informed, and using Zoom meetings to at least see each other’s faces.

“I was just trying to get all the guys together, especially freshmen, for the same activity,” Schwamm said. “Just some sort of social aspect … the team is close this year and it’s really exciting when considering all of the challenges we’ve had to go through.”

It’s all part of being a college athlete, Schwamm said, as “it has been good. It’s busy. I mean, it’s usually seven-to-eight practices a week, three lifts a week and it takes a toll on your body. It’s something I’ve done for a while and I’ve been able to stay physically fit. It also keeps you in a good mental state.”

Staying sharp for Schwamm means helping others. He has served on the student senate throughout his career and currently is president.

“There were two positions open,” he said. “I ran, got elected and fell in love with everything about it. It’s a strong brotherhood.”

It’s heavily involved with the school and community, distributes funds and the past summer with Schwamm’s help met as a group with the St. Benedict’s senate to discuss solutions for the two campuses to try to eliminate racial problems and all that come with them on the two campuses.

In fact, the schools combined for an “Official Call to Action,” which Schwamm is pleased to report was “adopted as a road map.”

Mustangs coach Susan Stone isn’t surprised what Schwamm is doing.

“I’m very proud of him for continuing his swimming and his leadership,” she said.

Said Gill: “He always works hard, but what has stood out the most is his eloquence as a person, a speaker with sincerity. He’s just a really good person. He’s a good leader who shows other people the way things should be.”

Schwamm’s sister, Anarose, is a former Mustangs swimmer and freshman at Creighton, where she is studying to become a nurse. And his time at Mullen, he’s convinced, was big for him in terms of development for his four years at St. John’s as well as beyond.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Yeah, the academic rigor was instrumental in preparing me. I swam and did athletics and academics, and I think all of those really helped me.”