JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Former Saint Peter's University men's swimming student-athlete
Troy Pina is headed to Tokyo to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Pina, who concluded his career with the Peacocks this past year, will be joined by his younger sister in Tokyo, as the two will be part of the first Cape Verdean swim team to ever compete in the Olympics. The Seekonk, Massachusetts, native will compete in the 50 freestyle, with the opening heats scheduled for next Friday (July 30).
This will not be Pina's first time representing Capo Verde, as he also swam at the 18th Fédération Internationale De Natation (FINA) World Championships in the summer of 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea. He also swam in the short course (25m) FINA Championship in December of 2018.
In Jersey City, Pina enjoyed a successful three-year stint before the past season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He swam in every meet in 2019-20, saving his best performances for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships. During the MAACs, Pina set a personal best time in the 50 free at the (22.56) and he swam a season-fastest 2:03.81 in the 200 fly. During the regular season, he earned a victory in the 100 fly against Pace in December.
Pina was also a member of the track & field team while at Saint Peter's. Before competing at the collegiate level, Pina enjoyed great success at Seekonk High School, where he set several records and earned multiple all-star team selections over the course of his career.
