August 14, 2020
Katy (Hare) Cunko
• Entrepreneurship (Minor in Marketing) - Bachelor's (2012)
• Still residing in Pittsburgh, Pa.
What are you up to now? I work full time at Schmidt Market Research
What do you miss most about Duquesne swimming or Duquesne in general? Being in shape! Lol, and the team.
What’s your favorite Duquesne swimming memory? Going to A-10s and the excitement around the championships.
Do you have any advice for the current team? Enjoy the moment, the friendships, the classes, everything, and don’t worry too much. You’ll have plenty of time to worry when you’re out of school.
Write one quote about Duquesne swimming and diving. Don’t suck! (an inside joke)
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June 24, 2020
Meghan (Smith) Creidler
- Physical Therapy - Bachelor's (2014), Master's (2016)
- Currently residing in Wilmington, N.C.
What are you up to now?I am working for my local hospital system (New Hanover Regional Medical Center) as a resource physical therapist. This means I can work in any setting throughout our hospital system (rehab hospital, acute care and outpatient clinics).
What do you miss most about Duquesne swimming or Duquesne in general? Being on a competitive team... it is not the same trying to compete on your own!
Have you been able to make it back to campus since you left?Yes, I have participated in 2 alumni swim meets since graduating, one of which was while my sister Morgan Smith was on the team.
What’s your favorite Duquesne swimming memory? Being at finals during A-10s especially when it came to the relays. The energy and excitement you get from the team is one of the best feelings.
Do you have any advice for the current team? You are only on this rollercoaster for so long, take some time to enjoy each other because you won't be on that pool deck forever.
Do you still keep in touch with your teammates? Yes! I gained some close friends that I stay in touch with, not nearly as often as I would like since being adults have caught up with us all and we are spread out all over the country.
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May 14, 2020
Helen (Mawdsley) Ford
- Communications with a minor in Russian (1984), Paralegal certification (1987) and JD (1992)
- Currently residing in Orlando, Fla.
What are you up to now?
I am a commercial real estate attorney working for a small law firm. Prior to that, I was a partner at two, Am Law 100 Firms and was in house counsel at SunTrust bank (now Truist).
What do you miss most about Duquesne swimming or Duquesne in general?
I miss all the fun times and camaraderie. We swam and ate dinner together every day and had fun parties when we weren’t swimming. I was a distance swimmer so most times I worked out with the men. The men would shave their heads for the big meet at the end of the year. The girls would get their hair braided and we would all wear stockings and at least 2 swimsuits for drag so when we went to the big meet we would feel light in the water. It was always funny.
What’s your favorite Duquesne swimming memory?
There are so many fun memories. Other than the brown dog swim caps, I enjoyed practicing in Ft. Lauderdale with the team at the Swimming Hall of Fame over winter break one year.
Do you have any advice for the current team?
Hard work and swimming through the pain pays off! As an attorney, I have faced many long grueling hours at work. My swimming endurance helped prepare me for life. Life is a journey not a sprint. As the Eagles once sang “who can go the distance? We’ll find out in the long run”. That’s my life motto.
Write one quote about Duquesne swimming.
Enjoy the journey! Integrity and perseverance will help you get where you want to go!
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May 1, 2020
Nathan Schadler
- Class of 2001 in Business Administration (2004, Juris Doctorate)
- Currently residing in Montgomery County, Pa. - just outside of Philadelphia
What are you up to now?
Currently, I am managing partner of a law firm I co-founded, Conway Schadler LLC. Prior to that I was a Montgomery County Prosecutor and Special Assistant United States Attorney where I handled homicide, firearms and narcotics cases.
What do you miss most about Duquesne swimming or Duquesne in general?
The people. The one thing that is hard about swimming is that we came from different places and a number have all moved across the country since graduation. To this day when we talk to each other a number of us still refer to each other as brother or sister, which is reflective of the bond that we shared.
Have you been able to make it back to campus since you left?
Yes, many times, it’s great to go back and my children love it. In fact, my daughter wants to attend school and swim there when she grows up, my son, who is five, just loves the food on the South Side (it also helps that my wife’s family is from Pittsburgh and still lives there).
What’s your favorite Duquesne Swimming memory?
There are too many to say just one, which is part of why it was such a great family to be a part of; every time I think back I can recall of a hundred moments that were special. To pick one would be impossible. I will say that in the years after you leave you do not remember the wins and losses so much, but you vividly remember the teammates, the dinners/breakfasts, the parties, the bus trips…etc. It becomes more about the people you were with and less about the swimming. Swimming just becomes the thing that brought a group of people together that will be special to me my whole life.
Do you have any advice for the current team?
Enjoy the fact that you can eat a lot and stay thin, that stops at about 25. Kidding (but not really). My advice is this: be exceptionally proud of yourselves, now. Duquesne Swimming has always produced extremely bright and successful people and by that nature we often focus on the future and our future goals. Take a moment to realize that you obtained something that very few people were/are able to do, despite thousands upon thousands trying: you are a Division One athlete. You will learn later that is an extraordinary accomplishment. As for the future, don’t forget how much you have been through and, more importantly, who you have been through it with. While swimming has made you a strong person, your teammates made you stronger. They are the ones to lean on in tough times, I still do.
Do you still keep in touch with your teammates?
Yes. One of my best friends, Brandon Lutz (class of ’99), lives less than 10 minutes away, and we still hang out and vacation together. We were in Walt Disney World just last fall with our families (our kids refer to each other as brothers and sisters). I still call/text teammates all the time.
Write one quote about Duquesne swimming.
“I’ve lived in Pittsburgh all my life and I still can’t figure out where the Laidlaw school is…” – John King, class of ’03 (who, despite this quote and many others like it, is an exceptionally bright and successful pharmacist, as well as a great person).
