Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1483813
28 CAVALIER CORNER A s a child, Zach Fong (Col '19), a Moore- stown, N.J., native, considered UVA his dream school. "I was looking for this perfect combina- tion of a place to figure out who I was, beyond being a swimmer," Fong said. "UVA was a healthy mix of everything: an excel- lent institution academically but also strong in sports across the board, not just football or basketball." When choosing a university, Fong looked for a place that excelled in both the swim- ming pool and academics, and knew UVA was the best fit for a student-athlete experi- ence on a men's swimming team. Fong fell in love with the water at a young age and swam throughout his youth, tap- ping into his competitive spirit. He is the oldest of three, and his siblings are also college swimmers — sis- ter Andrea at Villanova and brother Josh, who is currently a captain of the Virginia swim team, president of the McIntire School of Commerce stu- dent council and a 2022 Gray-Carrington Scholar- ship recipient. Fong attributes so much of his success and continued motivation to his siblings. "They are my best friends," he said. "An- drea and Josh have been there for me for every step of the way. I am constantly in awe of all they accomplish. I couldn't be luckier to take on life with them." During Fong's four college years, he was proud to witness the team's progression from Day 1 through graduation. "It may be cliché, but I believe in leaving things in a better place than how you found them," Fong said. In his first year, the team was sixth in the ACC, but at the end of his fourth year, they had risen to second in the ACC and 10th in the country. Butterfly was his main event — he finished fifth in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2019 NCAA Championships to earn first-team All-America honors as a fourth- year — but he adapted to other stroke posi- tions as well. One of his favorite memories came on his senior day when he broke a team record. "Not only was my brother present and had just committed, but my family was there," he said. "It meant a lot to me in that moment." Fong graduated with a major in econom- ics and minor in entrepreneurship and believes UVA is "a great place to grow up with the genuine relationships you can build and the diversity of it all." He currently works as the strategy and engagement manager for FirstParty, a data infrastructure and analytics com- pany that is based in New York City. Reflecting on the transition to a career beyond UVA, Fong said, "Going through college you are trying to figure out who you are, and you want to become more than a swimmer. In my four years at UVA, I was able to figure out who I wanted to be. I attribute a lot of that to my teammates and the relationships I've built." During COVID, he took time to think about ways he could give back to UVA and the swimming program, aside from just financial support. Since the University has a strong alumni CONTINUED SUCCESS: SWIMMER ZACH FONG At the 2019 NCAA Champion- ships as a fourth-year, Fong placed fifth in the 200-yard butterfly to earn first-team All-America honors. (Photo courtesy UVA) Zach (far left in the first row) is the oldest of Stephanie and Peter Fong's three children. His siblings are also college swimmers — brother Josh at Virginia and sister Andrea at Villanova. (Photo courtesy Zach Fong)