Special to the Reporter

On Dec. 2, Mercer Island resident Alex Edwards helped the Army West Point men’s swim team beat the Navy men in a dual meet for the first time since 1990. They notched the 189-111 victory at Crandall Pool in West Point, New York.

In helping to end Army’s decades-long drought against Navy, Edwards set all-time Army records in the 100-yard backstroke (first, 47.18) and the 50-yard backstroke (22.10, his split in the B 200-yard medley relay). He scored additional points for West Point at the meet by also finishing third in the 200-yard backstroke (1:45.96) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:48.35).

Edwards, 20, who is a sophomore at West Point, has been a Mercer Island resident all his life and has been swimming competitively in and around Mercer Island for the last 15 years, including summer league, club league and for Mercer Island High School (MIHS). He was a two-time high school All-American swimmer at MIHS and earned a third high school All-American award during his senior year at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.

The Islander still holds pool records at both the Mary Wayte Pool on Mercer Island and the Furnary Pool at Mercersburg Academy. His record-setting win in 100 back during the 2022 Army-Navy dual meet came against one of his former teammates at Mercersburg Academy who is now a junior at Navy.

He is majoring in defense strategic studies at West Point. Although he missed a good portion of the 2021 swim season with a broken forearm suffered during combat training, Edwards currently has five all-time top-10 times at West Point in the 100 back (record), 50 back (record), 200 back (1:45.91, fifth all time), 200 individual medley (1:47.59, fifth all time) and the 400-yard individual medley (3:51.91, third all time).

When Edwards is at home during breaks from West Point, he swims with the Bellevue Club.