Winning in Every Field: Andrew Garon
February 26, 2025
When LSU Swimmer Andrew Garon Leaves the Pool, He Enters a New Lane: Computer Engineering
For LSU swimmer Andrew Garon, success is all about discipline, whether he’s powering through a grueling swim practice or debugging a complex circuit. As a computer engineering major, Garon balances both his academic ambitions with his athletic pursuits in the pool.
“I’ve always been interested in computers, especially in what goes on inside them — the circuits and electronics portion of it,” Garon says.
In his electronics lab class, Garon gets hands-on experience building circuits.
“We test a bunch of components of circuits like diodes, transistors, transformers, and resistors to create circuits that actually do something,” he says.
When he’s not in the classroom, he’s in the pool, swimming the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 free. Garon is a six-time SEC Championship Finalist, two-time NCAA Championship Qualifier, and he shares the school records in the 200 Freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, and 800 freestyle relay.
“I like how you have to be dedicated to be able to succeed in swimming,” he said. “You have to stick with it, and it takes years and years to get to the level that some of the guys I’m racing are at.”
His swimming journey started as a young boy for safety reasons.
“I first started swimming because my parents wanted me to learn how to swim. And then I stuck with it because I was just really competitive and wanted to see how fast I could get.”
Garon’s dedication and determination are on full display during his early morning swim practice sessions.
“It’s pretty tough physically. I would say it’s harder mentally, though, because waking up in the morning and jumping in a cold pool is not very fun at all,” he says. “And doing that for weeks consistently, years consistently — that’s a lot harder than it is physically.”
His day is filled with classes meetings and swimming.
“I have to keep myself disciplined. So, that looks like maybe when we're traveling or we're on a meet, instead of taking a nap on the bus ride or plane ride, I'm pulling out my laptop and doing some extra homework. Or maybe instead of going to sleep at 9 o'clock, I stay awake until 11 and do some extra studying,” Garon said.
“ LSU offers you amazing professors and amazing classes and all these great resources that you can’t get anywhere else to be able to learn and improve and be successful in the future. ”
But he’s found a community through the swim team.
“Being a part of the swim team has offered me a culture of guys to grow and develop with, both swimming and in the classroom,” he said. “There’s a bunch of other engineers on the team that we connect with on a different level than some of the guys that I only swim with.”
Garon chose LSU for its strong balance of academics and athletics.
“I wanted a good balance between the academic side and the athletic side,” he explains. “I know it would give me the best resources to be good at swimming and also be able to get the degree I wanted.”
At LSU, he said the resources have made a difference.
"LSU offers you amazing professors and amazing classes and all these great resources that you can’t get anywhere else to be able to learn and improve and be successful in the future."
Next Step
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