TOWAMENCIN – North Penn Aquatics has always been regarded as a prestigious program; that reputation continues as the boys won the Water Polo State Championship last year and won the Swimming State Title this season. At the center of these teams is a leader in and out of the pool, Aidan Faikish. 

Faikish has been in the pool all his life. His dad, Brian Faikish, is the assistant coach of North Penn’s water polo and swim team. His uncle, Jeff Faikish, is the head coach on the team as well. He started his journey when he enrolled in swim lessons at the age of four years old.

“I’ve been involved in swimming and water polo since I was 4 years old. I started with swim lessons, special thanks to Mrs. Rob[inson] for teaching me how to swim and starting my career. Having my Uncle as my head coach and my dad as an assistant coach the entirety of my high school career certainly  had its ups and downs, but in the end, I can’t imagine doing what I did with anyone else,” Aidan stated. 

Aidan would go on to do numerous aquatic activities, including water polo camps, summer and winter competitive swim teams, and more. Soon, Aidan would work to join the prestigious team that his uncle and father both run at North Penn High School.

“I realized that swimming and water polo were the sports that I wanted to devote all of my time to freshman year when I joined the high school teams and realized what it was like to be a part of a family away from the one you have at home,” Aidan said.

Although it is always good to know that you are in great hands with a great program, one cannot help but feel a little intimidated at the amount of success and constant work ethic for the North Penn aquatic program. As a freshman, it can be a little overwhelming. However, in the eyes of Faikish, he saw it as an opportunity and not an obstacle.

“When I joined the water polo team in the fall of my freshman year, I instantly felt at home. I was not intimidated by the success because I knew that I wanted to be a part of it and be a face to remember. The upperclassmen my first 2 years showed me how to balance having fun while performing at the highest level, ” Aidan said.

Through his time at North Penn, they won the Water Polo State Tournament in his junior year and also won the Swimming State Championship his junior and senior year. Both of these milestones are important memories and experiences Faikish takes with him as he continues his journey into college.

“Being a part of the PA Water Polo State Championship team my junior year was one of the highlights of my high school career. The milestone that I take away in particular from that season was how it was the only state championship team in school history to go undefeated. It meant the world to win in our home pool and cement our legacy as one of the greatest teams this state has seen,” Aidan said.

Although working during the season always shows its results, the most important time to really work on an athlete’s craft is during in-between periods or during the offseason when water polo or swimming isn’t going on. 

“There is no off-season when you do what I do. There is usually a 1-2 week gap between the state tournament for water polo and the start of preseason swimming and that is the only break. During the season I do 2-3 hours of practice everyday, sometimes a morning practice on top of that, and workouts on land to stay in shape. In the summer I swim regularly at league meets and practice in the morning with the club,” Aidan explained. 

Through his hard work, Aidan has been recognized individually as an All-State First Team Water Polo Player as he helped lead his team to those championships. Although winning with the team is always the top priority, there is always a special place for individual achievements. 

“Getting recognized as a first team all-state performer and also a Mr. Water Polo finalist this year was a big accomplishment and really cemented my career and showed the state how much I put into the sport in my four years,” Aidan reflected. 

Aiden will be continuing his athletic and academic career at West Chester University on a swimming scholarship. He applied to ten schools, three of which being Division I teams. His intended major is Economics/Finance. 

“I chose West Chester because the team is very similar to North Penn’s and the campus was exactly what I was looking for. I chose economics because I have always been good at math and it was either this or become a math teacher like my favorite guy in the building, Mr. Huston,” Aidan stated. 

Although Aidan has had many ups and downs throughout his time here at North Penn, he thanks each and every one of his family, friends, teammates, and coaches for always supporting him. He is excited for the next chapter of his life to start, and will never forget the memories he created here as a North Penn Knight.