NOTE: “Beneath the Surface” is a joint project of the sports departments of The Oswegonian, WNYO 88.9 FM and WTOP-10 TV. The live broadcasts can be seen and heard on select Fridays at 8 p.m, as well as on WNYO’s and WTOP’s websites on demand. 

Oswego State’s Walker Snowden has taken his last lap in the swimming pool at Laker Hall for his collegiate career. He is another athlete whose senior season vanished with the SUNYAC’s ruling to cancel winter sports due to COVID-19. 

A staple of the men’s swimming and diving team for all three seasons he competed, Snowden was a threat to break Oswego State records every meet his junior year. By the time March came around, Snowden held the best time in school history for eight separate events. His greatness is inked into the Oswego State archives. But, there is a slim amount of time that haunts his tenure as a Laker. 

“It is a bit of a sting, I was only 0.2 [of a second] off making nationals [in the 100-yard freestyle],” Snowden said. “When all the times were said and done, I was only two-tenths of a second away from achieving that goal, and I would have been considered an All-American.” 

The difference between goals achieved and unfinished business for Snowden was inches. His junior year ended with the high of eight school records and six All-Conference performances at the SUNYAC Championships in February. The issue with that ending is that Snowden will have to be satisfied with those feats for his time at Oswego State. 

Similar to a season-ending injury, athletes were blindsided by COVID-19. Suddenly Snowden is not going to have a chance to make nationals or be an All-American. His career halted at the SUNYAC Championships his junior season, the highest point of all three years he swam collegiately. 

Snowden questions why his career had to end the way it did. He felt that even with COVID-19, meets would still be possible. He is not satisfied with the answers of the SUNYAC and the presidents of the SUNYAC schools for the cancelation of his final season. 

“We had the capacity to [COVID-19] test, and they just take that away from us,” Snowden said. “I feel a little bit slighted, but I know they have the best interest of keeping our money. Making sure they remain open to keep taking our money. It is a little upsetting to hear they did not even try.” 

Snowden describes himself as a perfectionist and always puts himself in a position to have success. This is why he was always the most energetic person in the morning swimming practices at Laker Hall, especially his junior season. He wanted to get better each day, even if the sun would not peak out for another two hours. 

“There was something about last year where I just started to get into a rhythm and a routine,” Snowden said. “I felt like I needed to keep living up to it. I set the standard for myself and that helped hold me accountable, to keep coming in each morning. People told me I lightened their spirits as well, so that helped.” 

What also helped was how good Snowden was swimming. He got closer to setting records with every single stroke in the pool. This helped create an adrenaline rush around the 2019-20 season for Snowden. He even outperformed the expectations of his head coach, Mike Holman. 

“My coach was not expecting it, but I knew that I could do it,” Snowden said. “He told me after, ‘I honestly did not know if you could do that or not.’ I knew something special was in store just starting off the season.” 

Many collegiate careers have the lights turned off right when things seemed at their best. Snowden follows in that path of careers that leave those around Oswego State athletics wondering, “What could have been?” Snowden plans on graduating this May and moving forward with his life. 

Still, Snowden left behind a legacy the swimming program will feel for a long time coming. 

“I’ve left behind a legacy of how you can start from nothing, basically at the bottom, and work your way to the top,” Snowden said. “That speaks for our program. I think I showed that our program is serious and to be reckoned with. I hope to leave a legacy of positivity and hard work.”

Graphic by Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian