California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

With constant intensity Michael Swift was one of the finest Vulcan wrestlers and competed from 1990 through 1993.

Swift, who wrestled at 150 pounds except for the final two weeks of his senior year, finished with a remarkable 160-34-2 cumulative record. His school-record career victory total still ranks sixth among NCAA career leaders, and Swift also owns the school record for pins with 44. He becomes the sixth wrestler to be inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame joining Bill Depaoli (1995, Ken Hackman (1996), Dave Cook (1996), William “Bull” McPherson (1999) and longtime head coach Frank Vulcano, Sr., (2005).

“It’s a huge honor and I really appreciate it,” said Swift. “I know people thought I would say negative things when I get up to speak because the wrestling program was dropped but I would never do that. When someone is giving you an honor you never do something like that and I would like to think I am a little classier than that. I think it’s a great honor and I am excited to get it. This is probably the last time that anyone will ever recognize me for something in athletics and I wouldn’t miss it for my life.”

A three-time team co-captain and three-time Most Valuable Wrestler selection, Swift won four NCAA Regional Championships and was twice named the Outstanding Wrestler (OW) at a Regional tourney. He earned prestigious NCAA All-American honors three times.

As a freshman in 1990 he finished fifth at the NCAA Divisional II Nationals and a year later was the national finalist at 150 pounds. In 1991, Swift helped the Vulcans win the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional team title, which was the first NCAA regional team title in Cal athletic history. California had moved up to the NCAA Division I level by Swift’s junior year and the team leader shaved eight pounds in the final stages of his senior year to drop down to 142 pounds for the Division I post-season. Swift earned Division I All-American status after finishing eighth.

“In retrospect it was not a good decision but I wasn’t really given a choice,” Swift said. “I did get All-American but that does not mean I would not have done the same thing at 150. I made the weight by the last match of the regular season but I just was not myself. You never know.”

He was also a four-time PSAC place-winner, finishing second as a freshman, third during his sophomore and junior years and fourth in 1993.

A four-time NCAA national qualifier who wrestled for head coach Robin Ersland, Swift placed in 25 of the 29 total tournaments he competed in. Along with the four Regional titles, Swift won three championships of California’s own “Red C” Open meet. He also captured first place at the Thiel Invitational twice, the Michigan State Open, and the Midwest Invitational. As a junior, Swift also finished a strong eighth at the Midlands Open in Illinois which is recognized as one of the most competitive collegiate open wrestling tournaments in the nation.

“I look back with a tremendous amount of pride,” said Swift. “I don’t think I will ever accomplish more in anything than I did in my wrestling career. I worked very hard at it and wrestling will always be the thing I will most be proud of.”

Ersland, who is in his ninth year as the head wrestling coach at Central Missouri State, was informed about Swift from Mike DeAnna, the previous head wrestling coach at Edinboro University.

“He was a good coach and motivator,” Swift said about Ersland. “He is the one who gave me an opportunity and the man never saw me wrestle before he gave me a scholarship. Robin gave me the opportunity and without the opportunity you can’t get anywhere. You got to have someone open the door for you.”

Originally from Erie, Pa., and a graduate of Erie McDowell High School, Swift was a scholastic football and wrestling standout. In football, he was a starting linebacker and wide receiver his senior year. Swift was a four-year starting wrestler and twice finished in the top four at the PIAA state tournament in Hershey, Pa.

Swift earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in economics from Cal U in 1993. Two years later he received his master’s degree in finance from Northern Illinois University, where he also served as the Huskies’ assistant wrestling coach for two years. A dozen years later, Swift has pleasant memories of his undergraduate days at Cal U. Last summer, he returned to his alma mater to see the many physical changes on the campus.

“I enjoyed Cal and thought I received a good education,” he said. “I thought they had excellent economics teachers there and the favorite part of my academic career was studying economics at Cal.”

Since completing his academic work, Swift has worked in the recruiting industry. He is currently the senior recruiter for Lockheed Martin, largest defense contractor in the world. His office is located in Elkridge, Maryland.

Though he and his college teammates are now scattered across the country with their lives and careers, Swift still keeps in touch with some of them and was even the best man for former Vulcan lightweight wrestler and placekicker Jim Kraynak at his wedding in west coast California. Other top wrestlers during Swift’s era included PSAC champions Doug TerHark, Jay Manson, and NCAA national semifinalist Kevin Kinane.

“We had a small handful of wrestlers that were really good,” Swift said. “A lot of the best wrestlers were all around the same weights and at one point we had three state champs all competing for the same starting job. A kid from Indiana quit because he knew he did not have a chance. A lot of the scholarship money was tied up in Kevin Kinane and myself but we did pretty well with the scholarships we had.”

Michael is single and resides in Baltimore.