Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps once said “I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That’s where I belong.”

The same can be said of 2016 Tyrone grad Emily Beam and 2018 grads Bryce Bauer and Matt Beam. All three swam on the Tyrone High School Swim Team, and today the trio can be found together again, teammates on the Penn State Altoona Swim Team.

A four time district qualifier, Emily Beam was one of Tyrone swimming’s top female competitors. She excelled in many events and was named the Eagle Eye’s Athlete of the Week several times. Beam also placed in the top four for the 100 butterfly at the district competition during both her junior and senior year. She was also a member of the track and field team.

During his time at Tyrone, Matt Beam was one of the hardest working swimmers on the team. That hard work paid off when he qualified for District 6 swimming championships during three of his four high school seasons.

Bauer also proved his hard work and talent in the water during his high school career. One of the team’s best male swimmers, Bauer went to District 6 championships during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. During his senior year, he and three other teammates set the school record for the men’s 200 medley relay, in which Bauer swam freestyle. He was also a member of the football and track and field teams.

After their time in high school was over, each of the athletes separately chose to take their talents to Penn State Altoona, 30 minutes from Tyrone. They are now all teammates once again.

“It’s nice to swim with some of my high school teammates, especially my brother,” said Emily Beam, “We have been swimming together since we took swim lessons when we were little. It has been weird swimming without him for two years.”

During her time at Altoona, Beam has placed fourth in the 200 butterfly at championships as well as received the Coach’s Award and Most Dedicated Athlete Award. She is a junior pursuing a double major in biology and visual art studies.

Matt Beam is a freshman majoring in electrical mechanical engineering and is hoping to minor in theatre. In college, he has competed in a lot of new events and has improved his time each race he swam them. Matt also agrees that having high school teammates on alongside him has made the transition to college athletics and academics much easier.

Bauer is a freshman working toward a degree in cybersecurity. His overall goal for himself and his team is to compete in every race and drop as much time as possible.

With their season coming to an end, the Penn State Altoona team has overall seen a lot of success this year. They have dropped times, earned a lot of wins, and also faced some tough competition.

Being a college student-athlete is no easy task. You must learn to balance your time, athletic commitments, and school work. Needless to say, these three Tyrone representatives seem to be taking the challenge in stride.

All three miss their Tyrone teammates and coaches, but agree that they are happy with what they have gained.

“I have dropped time throughout the year and placed top three in most of my races,” said Bauer.

When asked about being on the same team with the Beams, he explained, “It’s a really unique experience and provides comfort in the change from high school to college.”

The last competition for Penn State Altoona and the trio is the AMCC Championship Meet. The event begins today, February 13, through February 16 at Penn State Behrend. The team has been working hard to end the season on a high note.

Their Penn State Altoona teammates have also worked hard and hoping to see it all pay off at the championship meet this week. The trio of Bauer and the Beam siblings will surely play a part in that.