Michigan State University Athletics
Scott Piper: Reaching His Goals
2/6/2019 12:33:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State junior Scott Piper, even as a beginner at age 5, always set goals for himself in the pool. But even his biggest goal didn't detail qualifying for the Olympic Trials.
However, on Dec. 1, 2018 while competing at the USA Winter Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina, Piper's tireless work paid off.
On the first day of the meet, Piper had a huge time drop in the 200 Individual Medley (IM), and qualified for the finals. Going into the race, Piper found himself inspired by Payton Woods, his MSU swimming teammate and roommate. Woods qualified for the 2020 Trials with a 23.05 in the 50 freestyle.
Piper's finals swim was a few hours later, and he thought, "Oh, he did that, I can do that too."
With his family watching, Piper dove into the pool for his favorite race. The 2020 Trials cut, a published standard of times set by USA Swimming, for the 200 IM is 2:04.09. Piper did that and more, finishing at 2:03.69, placing fourth overall, setting a new school record and qualifying himself for the Trials.
"Finishing to the wall, looking up and seeing that time was a special moment," Piper said. "It was really cool to see my parents and the smiles on their faces."
Meanwhile, Woods was jumping and yelling at the end of the lane, celebrating his roommate.
"To see all the hard work that he puts in daily, pay off, was really something special," Woods said.
Michigan State swimming has had three Olympic gold medal winners, including Clarke Scholes (1952, 1955), Linda Gustavson (1968) and Kenneth Walsh (1968). The 2020 Trials will be held in the end of June, after Piper's graduation, leaving a decision to make about pursuing a professional swimming career or continuing his education with graduate school.
"I'll be on campus until almost up to the Trials, so I'll still be staying in the water and in shape," Piper said. "Based on how the next year and a half goes, we'll see where I'm at, then go from there."
It's not surprising that swimming is so important in Piper's life, more than just a sport - it's a family affair. The talented swimmer grew up in Naperville, Illinois. His father, Pat, swam at Illinois State and older brother, Keith, at Connecticut.
Following in their footsteps, Piper swam backstroke growing up and quickly found success. He decided to swim in college, choosing Michigan State because of he saw a balance between academics, athletics and social life.
Piper transitioned to being a mid-distance specialist at MSU, swimming the IM and butterfly instead of the familiar backstroke.
"When you get out of high school and start competing at the collegiate level, especially if you're successful like he was in high school, one of the first things you have to do is realize it's a different game," said head coach Matt Gianiodis. "You have to adjust to the game, and a lot of that has to do with personal growth."
Piper embraced the changes, and started the work to take his swimming to another level. He increased his weightlifting, training and changed his nutrition to get stronger. He also renewed his focus, which he feels is the key to his success this season.
"Coming off a not-so-great last season, I lost sight of the fun and competitiveness that I had," said Piper. "This season, I'm embracing the challenges in practice head-on, getting a lot of grit, and having fun with it."
Piper's swimming isn't the only place he is successful at MSU. He is a Biosystems Engineering major, carrying a 4.0 GPA. He also was an all-Big Ten Academic honoree last season. He credits student-athlete academic services and his coaches for helping him keep a balanced life.
"Our coaches are very understanding of our time commitments," he said. "They really try to make sure we have the right amount of time to dedicate to academics too."
Players Mentioned
