Flying possums aren't your typical pet. But if you were to ask those who know Kelly Harrigan, they'd be quick to tell you that she's far from your typical pet owner.
Remarkable, ferocious, and amazing are just some of the adjectives used by peers and coaches alike to describe her - Harrigan, that is, not the possum.
Aside from being the owner of gliding rodents, just what makes Harrigan so "remarkable?"
After earning a gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke at the World University Games in Thailand this summer, Harrigan is currently ranked seventh in the nation and 15th in the world at the event.
Harrigan swam a 2:11.48 to take first in the race. Not only was it a personal best for the former two-time Big East Champion and All-American, but she finished half a second ahead of her closest competitor in a field of elite international athletes.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Harrigan is that she does it while pursuing her degree in Veterinary Medicine at Penn.
"All my classmates and I are in awe of her," said friend and classmate Lindsay Fowler. "I've never heard of any Vet student attending both classes and training for international competition."
For Harrigan, the decision to swim and become a veterinarian was easy.
"When I was little I wanted to become a marine biologist because I like animals and swimming," she said. "By the time I was a junior in high school I decided that I wanted to be a vet."
"I usually practice before or after class . and study about three to four hours a day," she said. All told, Harrigan says she puts in approximately 20 hours a week training for swimming, in addition to another 70 hours studying for and attending classes.
"Kelly is a ferocious worker with great maturity. She can look down the road and concentrate for a very long time, whether it's swimming or her dream of becoming a veterinarian," said Chuck Warner, her undergraduate coach at Rutgers.
On top of all that, she steps in as a volunteer assistant for Penn's men's and women's swimming teams.
"She not only raises the level of the women's team, but the men's team, she practices and trains at such a high level," Quakers coach Mike Schnur said. "Male or female, there is no one near her level [in the 200-meter backstroke] in the Ivy League."
The next level of competition for Harrigan would be qualification for the 2008 Olympics - and she says she's training to keep her options open. But her dozens of hours spent in the classroom rather than the pool would put her at a disadvantage relative to her competitors.
"Right now my goal is to stay focused on my studies," Harrigan said. "Once it's summer again, I'll be able to focus on swimming."
"She has to . balance her life with a very hard-core level of training," Schnur said. "She's one of the best swimmers in America and she is very capable of making the Olympic team. But anything can happen at an Olympic trial."
