Stephen P. Winings (2008) - Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame

Stephen P. Winings

Induction:
2008
Class:
1974

Sport: Swimming
Steve Winings is one of three Bucknell swimmers to earn Division I All-America recognition, and he joined the other two, Jim Harvey and Peter O'Keeffe, in the Hall of Fame in 2008. Winings earned the All-America plaque by finishing eighth in the 50-yard freestyle at the 1971 NCAA Championships in Ames, Iowa, the highest finish ever by a Bucknell swimmer (finishing fourth in that race was Indiana's Mark Spitz, and the winner was another Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder in Dave Edgar of Tennessee). Winings set a school record in the process with a time of 21.26 seconds. That made him Bucknell's very first Division I All-America swimmer, although O'Keeffe joined him the very next day. Winings captured the Middle Atlantic Conference title in the 50 free every year from 1971-74, making him the first swimmer in conference history to win an event four years in a row, a feat that landed him in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd". He also won the 100 breaststroke in 1971 and 1973 and captured seven more MAC titles in relays, including four in the 400 free relay.

Winings, who swam both breaststroke and butterfly legs on conference champion medley relays, was twice a silver medalist in the 50 free at the Eastern Championships. He and Hall of Famer Bob Richards, who were both products of Mercersburg Academy, co-captained the 1973-74 team to the only undefeated (11-0) season in Bucknell history. He was a part of four straight MAC team titles, and in 1974 the squad finished eighth at the Eastern Championships at Princeton.
(Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 2008)