“Every American swimmer’s dream is to end up at the big meet — the US Olympic trials,” said Harrison, the 2024 Warren Area High School graduate and Dragons’ record-holder 15 times over. “That being said, it is my biggest goal, but the only way I can achieve that goal is to take things one step at a time.”

Coming off his third straight District 10 championship in the 200-yard individual medley as a high school junior, Harrison was named Region 3 Swimmer of the Year. A two-time PIAA medalist, including a silver in the 100 backstroke, Harrison holds the Warren record in nearly every individual boys event, and he broke the District 10 2A record in winning the 200 IM in 1:53.38 at S.P.I.R.E. Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

“The most accomplished and decorated boys swimmer in WAHS history,” according to former head coach Russ Beyer, Harrison was forced to miss his senior season to recover from shoulder surgery.

However, winning a state championship was only one of Harrison’s goals.

Posted are Hugh Harrison’s many records for the Warren’s boys swim team.

“Going into my senior year, the one goal that I still had to check off the list was a state title,” he said. “I would have worked to better my personal-best times, compete well all season, and eventually win the PIAA championship. Shoulda, coulda, woulda…”

Swimming at a Division I program and Harrison’s dream of competing at the Olympic trials in 2028 takes a detour to a post-graduate high school that has sent countless swimmers to compete at top college programs.

“I was playing tennis with my friend in September of 2022 and tripped and fell, which dislocated my shoulder,” said Harrison, son of Derek and Nikki Harrison. “I went to the hospital and got it back in place within a few hours. I was annoyed, but didn’t fully understand the longevity of this type of injury, so I brushed it off, went to physical therapy for two months, got back into an intense training routine with my club swim team in Jamestown, and had a successful junior season. (I) broke 16/16 high school records, placed second in the PIAA 100 backstroke, fourth in the 200 IM, and earned All-American honors in the 200 IM. By the time spring rolled around, I completely forgot about my shoulder injury and joined the tennis team once again. The season went well, nothing was wrong until a week before team districts. I was playing doubles with three of my teammates, hit a serve and popped out my shoulder once again. I iced it, wrapped it up, and still played in the team district tournament that week.

“I was annoyed and frustrated with my injury, but thought it would be an easy recovery just like last time,” he said. “It was the opposite. I swam with my club team all that summer and went to physical therapy, but nothing seemed to help. My shoulder would ache terribly throughout practice and slip in and out of its socket. By October 2023, I came to the conclusion that I needed surgery and would miss my senior season.

“Come December of my senior year, my plan was to take the college route the normal way by applying to schools and then asking coaches if I could potentially walk on to the program that fall,” said Harrison. “But a great friend of mine, Mrs. Amy Morrison, brought the idea up to me (Mercersburg Academy for post-high school graduates)… At first, my parents thought it was a great idea, but I said, ‘no way am I going to do another year of high school.’

Hugh Harrison

“I quickly learned that labral repair surgery has a long and tedious recovery process and swimming at the Division I level in the fall of 2024 was simply impossible, so I applied to Mercersburg Academy (Mercersburg, Pa.), had great conversations with the very highly respected coach, and decided it was the right decision to take a post-graduate year,” said Harrison.

“A post graduate year is an extra year of high school spent at an academy school,”explained Harrison. “The people that take advantage of this opportunity are athletes that suffer injury, need an extra year to develop or have been offered a spot on a college team for the following year and need a place to prepare, or just any student that needs an extra year to prepare themselves for college. Benefits of a postgraduate: You don’t lose a year of NCAA eligibility, can compete with the team because it does not affiliate with PIAA, and you get a year to prepare yourself both academically and athletically at a high-level program before going to college.

“I was contemplating going to a large state school, attempting to walk on,” he said. “I was contemplating Purdue University or West Virginia University. Now, my goals at Mercersburg are to make a full recovery, swim fast, and hopefully swim at the Division I level in the fall of 2025.

“Mentally, losing my senior season took a huge toll on my confidence and drive,” admitted Harrison. “As I sat on the pool deck watching my opponents and teammates get better, I felt as if I was getting too far behind. I was also sad that I didn’t get a final chance to win a state championship or better my school-record times. My mental toughness strengthened throughout this process, though. As I recover and start swimming at a high intensity again, I understand that this was just a setback leading to a huge opportunity to fulfill my dreams starting with a post-graduate year at Mercersburg.

“My philosophy on life is now different than most,” said Harrison. “I am already old for my class and taking even longer to get to college has taught me to appreciate the journey, not the destination. Cliche, know, but I am excited about not rushing life and not giving up on my life-long goals. Everything will work out in the end.

“Mercersburg Academy has all of the tools to get me where I want to be in my swimming career,” he said. “With a historically excellent program, coach, and team, I could very well end up right where I wanted to be all along… On August 24th, I will move into my dorm room and meet my roommate who will also be a postgraduate student. From there, I will start the school year in the classroom as well as the pool. I am super excited to see how things turn out.”