Connor Signorin, Class of 2010
Connor Signorin ’10 dove into Peddie swimming his freshman year and never looked back. His impact still stands today.
He currently holds the Peddie record in the 1,650-yard freestyle, 200-meter freestyle, 1,500-meter freestyle, 200-meter IM and 400-meter IM, according to his head coach at Peddie, Greg Wriede ’95.
Signorin made an immediate impact and placed eighth in the 500-yard freestyle his freshman year at the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships, as well as eighth in the 200-IM, as the boys team placed first. He was a junior national qualifier, and in 2007, he attended a regional select camp for USA Swimming.
In 2008, he won the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard IM as a sophomore at Easterns. He made his first two Olympic trial cuts at the end of his sophomore year in the 1,500-meter freestyle and the 400-meter freestyle. He participated and swam at the US Olympic team trials in 2008 in Omaha, Nebraska.
During his junior year, he won the 200-yard freestyle by almost four seconds and the 500-yard freestyle by nine seconds at Easterns and was named Most Outstanding Swimmer. He led off the 400-yard freestyle relay, which took first. That summer, he competed at USA junior nationals. In 2009, he also attended a boys national select camp for USA Swimming.
Signorin, who was team captain his senior season, was a 200-yard freestyle champion and 500-yard freestyle champion at Easterns. He was also the anchor leg of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay.
In August 2010, he was fourth in the 200-meter freestyle at USA Junior Nationals, fourth in the 400-meter freestyle, third in the 200-meter IM and fourth in the 400-IM. He also competed in senior nationals.
At Peddie in 2010, he became the fifth member of a very elite group of swimmers to complete a 10,000 freestyle (10,000 For Time) in under an hour and 40 minutes. This event was a staple of Peddie swimming history and a test of a lot of athletes, according to Wriede.
Signorin had put himself in the world of those athletes, breaking some of their records and some times.
“When you are coaching, there are certain athletes that come along that just really buy into what you’re doing, buy into the philosophy and they mesh with you as a coach,” Wriede said. “And Connor, hands-down, was one of those kids that did anything that was ever asked of him without question.”
For Signorin, it was a business mindset, what he was going to do, how he would approach it and that’s all there was.
Amongst his numerous accolades, he was a NISCA (National Interscholastic Swimming
Coaches’ Association) All-American from 2008-10 and a Scholastic All-American by USA Swimming in 2008 and 2010. He was named to the 2010 USA Youth team and swam in Berlin, Germany, Stockholm, Sweden and Barcelona, Spain. He was also a youth team member again in 2010 and 2011 and was named as a Peddie student. Signorin also received the Clinton I. Sprout Swimming Cup for Outstanding Ability, Loyalty and Sportsmanship in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
At Peddie’s commencement in May 2010, he received the Matthew R. Weiner ’98 Award.
Signorin went on to earn a scholarship at Division I University of Florida, where he was a captain. He continues to compete and have success in eight-mile open water swims.