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Tapia finished second in the 200-yard fly at the MIAC Championships with a new Hamline record time at the MIAC championship last month and earned himself a “B” cut for the NCAA D-III national competition, the biggest event in college swimming.

“I’m not really worried,” Tapia said. Tapia said that he is “pumped” for the chance to go nationals but is trying to treat it like, “just another competition.” Tapia and Head Coach Paul Waas Jr. will be the only two Hamline represenatives at the competition.

Tapia will be competing in the 200-meter butterfly, 200-individual medley (IM) and the 100-meter butterfly. Tapia said he “definitely” feels strongest in the 200-meter butterfly.

Tapia has been swimming for seven years and took it up after having played soccer for many years before that.

At Hamline, Tapia is ranked number one in the 100 butterflyčahead of four scores that have not been broken in over a decade. In addition, Tapia also is at the top of the list for the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:53.73. Tapia is ranked fifth in 100-meter backstroke (55.78), fifth in the 200-backstroke (2:04.01), and third in the 200 IM (1:57.96)

In a previous interview, Waas was visibly excited at taking a swimmer to a national competition after just one season at a new school in another conference. If Waas was ever worried about his first year coaching at a new school, his records for the coming season do not show it. Leading the Pipers to the MIAC Championships and meeting head-to-head with larger schools made rival schools’ coaches sit up and take notice. Waas has commented in the past that the SUNYC (State University of New York Conference) shares many similarities with the MIAC, which made it an easier transition from school to school.

Tapia, a graduate of the Nacel International High School, is majoring in Management, Economics, and Political Science. In two short years, though.

Tapia has made his mark. The swimmer has knocked down nearly half a dozen school records, some of which had remained unbroken for decades. In his first year at Hamline, Tapia broke three long-standing school records. Success in the water is nothing new to Tapia.

The first-year also holds national records in his native Ecuador in the 13-14 and 15-17 age groups. Though youthful, Tapia is already well on his way to building a very memorable career here at Hamline.