Over eight thousand miles separates Hong Kong from Philadelphia, but for junior individual medley specialist Peter Whittington, the real distance is between who he was and who he’s become.
His sophomore season marked a breakthrough as he made it to the A-final in three individual events at the 2025 Ivy League men's swimming & diving championships. He was less than a second away from winning his first Ivy League title, and his 3:43.25 finish in the 400-yard individual medley earned him silver, along with the title of second-team All-Ivy. Although this campaign was a culmination of his hard work, the path he took to get there was far from linear.
What first began as learning to swim for water safety quickly turned into an early passion for racing.
“I was very sure about swimming from a young age,” Whittington said. “So I dropped everything else just to focus on that.”
Growing up in Hong Kong’s rigorous swimming atmosphere, Whittington became fully immersed in its make-or-break culture. By the age of 12, he was training ten times a week — more than he does now as a collegiate athlete. While this intense structure could easily lead to burnout for some, it fueled his competitive drive while he trained with the national team. When he reached high school, Whittington had set his sights on faster waters.
“I wanted to come here to the [United] States because I felt like the swimming culture was immensely better,” Whittington said. “I felt like putting myself in an environment where there’s a lot of people better than me will help me improve a lot.”
After getting introduced to Penn’s coaching staff by his hometown friend and former Penn swimmer, Boris Yang, Whittington began the American recruiting process. Looking back, he reflects that he could have improved his communication. By the time Whittington was ready to move forward, recruiting had already settled for the 2022-23 season, and the roster of incoming Quakers was full.
Penn’s coaching staff offered him a spot for the next cycle, but he now had to make a difficult decision: take a gap year or accept one of his current offers from Columbia and Virginia Tech.
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“The education was important to me, so studying at Wharton — you can’t get any better than that,” Whittington said. “Even though taking a gap year might not be ideal, it actually gave me an extra year to swim and improve.”
Solidifying his college decision helped clear the path ahead, but another obstacle soon surfaced. The years of unrelenting training had taken a toll on his shoulder. He hit a slump where he struggled to top the times he set as a 16-year-old. He spent his transition to Penn learning how to manage his injury and swim past stagnation.
“He’s the most consistent guy I’ve ever met in swimming,” junior freestyle/backstroke/butterfly specialist Liam Campbell said. “I think that’s what makes him great, because he just never gives up.”
Instead of letting the plateau sink him, Whittington dove into the grind. He leaned into the discipline he learned from his childhood training and stayed anchored to the belief that his dedication would eventually show. That moment came during the 2025 Ivies.
Whittington’s perseverance was what allowed him to step into a new chapter, both individually and as a teammate. Now, as an upperclassman, his recent successes in the 200-yard breaststroke events this season have positioned him as a leader for the Red and Blue’s breaststroke lineup.
“He’s gone from a good swimmer to an NCAA-caliber swimmer …” coach Mike Schnur said. “Even though he’s not captain, he’s a leader … when Peter talks, people listen.”
Ask Whittington what drives him now, and he’ll say it’s the sense of duty he has to his team. Having navigated many personal challenges, he’s entering this season with more experience to support the teammates around him.
“In terms of leadership … that was something that I was very excited about coming into my junior year,” said Whittington. “Having the responsibility to impact others … it’s very meaningful to me.”
With much of his junior campaign still ahead of him, he’s ready to help maintain the team’s edge despite difficult competition. Even when the going gets tough, he’s never been afraid to swim upstream.
