Competing at the World Aquatics Championships while representing the United States is an incredible honor and accomplishment for any swimmer. What makes the journey even better are the teammates they share the experience with. 

There was one more layer for Jack Alexy, Matt Fallon, Nic Fink, Destin Lasco, Henry McFadden, and Dare Rose: each athlete is from New Jersey. Growing up together, swimming together, competing against each other, and looking up to one another was just a regular part of their life.   

“Funny Story...,” said Fink.   

“Before the games, someone tweeted at me like, ‘Oh, representing Jersey, whatever.’ I responded with ‘yeah’ and made some reference to bagels and Taylor Ham. I inadvertently started a Twitter war between the people who call it pork roll and the people who call it Taylor Ham. I was scared to represent the Jersey rep after that because I didn’t want to start another Twitter war on my feed, but I’m happy to do it with other people this time.”  

For Alexy, Fallon, Lasco, and Rose, their story started back when they were nine years old, competing both with and against each other.  

“Jack and I swam together from 9 to 13, but we eventually found our way back to the same team during senior year when our teams combined,” said Fallon. When Alexy and Fallon were young kids, they swam for Greater Somerset Country YMCA but split up as they got older. During the pandemic, the guys were back on the same team until they left for college. Fallon attended Penn while Alexy went to California Berkeley with Rose and Lasco.  

What was it like to make the World Championships team?  

“Making the team was pretty special because not only were some of us from California but also representing New Jersey,” Alexy said.   

Lasco and Alexy made the World Championships team on the first day at the Phillips 66 National Championships during the men’s 100 freestyle. Alexy touched the wall first with a time of 47.93, with Lasco coming in just 0.07 seconds later. “Once we made the team, we just looked forward to representing Team USA together on that same relay.  

“Fast forward to the medley relay at the end of the meet in Japan. Dare, Murph (Ryan Murphy), Nic, and I knew that we had to win this relay, and we definitely could if we executed our races.  

“I remember being in the ready room and looking at all the teams, and I just had so much confidence because of who was sitting to my left and right. It was special that three-quarters of the relay was from California, but three-quarters also represented New Jersey and the Jersey Boys. It was an honor to represent Team USA as a collective, but it was also a fun time.”  

Since New Jersey is a small state, the opportunity to swim together was what stuck out the most to Fink.  

“When you see other people from Jersey, you’re excited about it,” Fink said. “To represent Team USA with the most people from New Jersey Swimming is pretty cool. Having a bunch of guys in Japan repping Jersey was incredible, not only being on the team but being close to these guys and working with them.”  

What created such a concentration on high-level swimming in New Jersey?  

McFadden pointed out that, even though many top-level swimmers come from New Jersey, there aren’t many large, fancy pools in the area, let alone many with long-course-meter pools. “Being in this environment taught us to adapt so we could elevate ourselves in a smaller pool setting,” according to McFadden.   

Fallon elaborated on the swimming conditions in the area that he believes made them strong.  

“The nice, long course pools in New Jersey are few and far between,” Fallon added. “The only three I can name are Rutgers, Princeton, and Berkeley Aquatic Club, but that doesn’t open to anyone who isn’t from the area. Getting long course time anywhere was hard. I’ve had to drive two hours to either Pennsylvania or New York. The pool we train in during the summer is 50 meters long, but that’s about it.”   

Swimmers usually say, “If you have a lane, you have a chance,” but perhaps it should be, “If you have a pool, you have a chance.”  

Lasco chimed in to talk about the history of the talented Mid-Atlantic Swimming community.  

“When I was growing up racing zones, I was surrounded by Reece Whitley, Andrew Abruzzo, and Alex Boratto,” he said. “There are many fast people to look up to who were setting precedents in the sport. Whether they were breaking a national record or making a junior worlds team at 14 like Reece, seeing that spectrum at such a young age opened my eyes to setting high goals.  

“It all goes down to pushing each other and having fun at the end of the day. I think that’s what builds specifically New Jersey Swimming is how close we are.”  

The team nominated Fink alongside Ryan Murphy, Leah Smith, and Abbey Weitzeil as team captains. This group led and mentored a team of 18 athletes who made their senior-level international debut. At the World Aquatics Championships, Nic received two individual silver medals in the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke, a gold medal in the men’s 4x100 medley relay and a bronze medal in the mixed 4x100 medley relay.   

“These guys didn’t need much mentoring,” said Fink, a veteran of five long course world championships and captain of this year’s men’s squad. “Coming from the crucible that is New Jersey swimming, these guys were all already prepared for some good racing and high-quality stuff. For me, it was just ensuring they knew how to do the trip’s logistics. Essentially, get them to the ready room because their training and preparation that they’ve done all year and their whole lives take it from there.”  

They grew up on the East Coast, but now the question is, east or west?  

“I’d honestly say East Coast,” Rose said. “West Coast is very different. There are some pros and some cons, but I don’t know. I see myself moving to Jersey sometime in my life to enjoy New Jersey and get to New York City. Berkeley is cool, Cali is cool, and the West Coast is cool, but the East Coast will always be my home.”  

Alexy, however, thinks more years in California may change his perspective.    

“Right now, I prefer the East Coast, but California and Berkeley are awesome,” he said.  

The Jersey Boys talked about the core memories they made on their adventure.   

“Training Camp in Singapore and competition in Fukuoka were filled with many laughs,” said McFadden.   

“I’d say being on the relay was fun with Dare and Jack, and I know I’m leaving some of the Jersey Boys out, but having two more Jersey guys on that relay was cool,” Fink said. “I think we also chatted about the squad, which was one of the fondest memories I have of this group.” 

“I think, for me, my favorite memory was Singapore,” Lasco said. “It was awesome! I remember Jack, Dare, Henry, and I went to the garden in Singapore, which was beautiful. Besides being in Japan and experiencing the rich culture, that was my favorite memory. It was amazing.”  

Fallon’s favorite memories were also from the training camp in Singapore.   

“I think it was Jack, Dare, Destin and I would go shopping at the mall. It was cool to have this be with people where you’re from, like very locally in the United States,” he said. “I guess you’re out in some country that’s a 15-hour airplane ride away is pretty cool.”  

McFadden’s favorite part was the meals. “Sitting around a table, and sometimes you sit and talk when you’re bored. Those conversations were my favorite part of the trip,” he said.   

“Far away from our home state and still being able to come together and have that experience was awesome,” Alexy said.  

In the end, the youngest member of the Jersey Boys, McFadden, rounded out the conversation.  

“I idolize these guys,” McFadden said. “To be on a team with them was just super cool. I remember hanging out in Singapore and seeing other sites when I realized, wow, I idolize these people, and now I’m hanging out in Singapore with them. That was pretty cool.”