ERIE, Pa. — Plenty of things are different on the Gannon campus since Russ and Deanna Beyer graduated. But the pool they swam in as members of the Golden Knight swimming and diving program is still there, and there's another Beyer spending his early mornings and late nights swimming laps now.
 
Russ Beyer and Deanna Leins each came to Gannon in the fall of 1989, joining the swimming team in just its fifth year of existence. Both set school records and achieved all-conference status in the Penn-Ohio Conference, and both graduated in 1993 with their bachelor's degree.
 
Deanna came back for her master's, graduating in 1995, and has built a career as a home care physical therapist. Russ earned his bachelor's in marketing, and currently works as a human resources administrator. The duo also teams up to coach the Warren Area High School swim team, where their son, Andrew Beyer (Warren, Pa./Warren Area), came through before continuing his academic and athletic career at Gannon.
 
The Beyers recently took time to catch up with the sports information staff, reflecting on their time at Gannon, the recruiting process with Andrew, and more. Read on for the full conversation.
 
The weekly Alumni Spotlight series is brought to you by Jimmy John's of Erie. Visit your local Jimmy John's at 515 State Street or 821 W. Erie Plaza. A new Alumni Spotlight will be released each Thursday at gannonsports.com.
 
Rung: What brought you to Gannon?
 
Deanna: Well, I was offered a swimming scholarship, so that kind of enticed me to go (laughter). But also I really liked the school. I just felt really connected there when I went on my tour, and it seemed like the place for me. It was cool that it was in the city and lots to do, and being close to the lake was appealing. Old Main was so cool. Whoever gave our group the tour did a good job because, we came away really impressed.
Russ: A couple of my friends form high school were interested in playing football, and to get out of school for the day, my parents said "Sure, we'll take you down there." I was looking through the book on the way there and said "Look, there's a Russell Hall and Beyer Hall here, I have to go here." My friends went and did their things for football and their majors, and I just went to the rec center. John Hayman was the coach then, and I told him I was interested in Gannon and in swimming, and he offered me a scholarship right then and there.
 
Rung: So, swimming obviously helped bring you together, but who wants to tell the story of how you met?
 
Russ: The team was pretty close and we enjoyed having get-togethers. Being a part of any swim team, it's always big to have comradery. It's a long season, grueling sport. There were some parties and we kind of became friends first, and then it started getting more serious our sophomore year, and then I think I used some kind of Jedi mind trick on her, and here we are together ever since.
 
Rung: Clearly your own experiences at Gannon were positive enough that Andrew felt comfortable coming here. What was that recruiting process and decision like?
 
Deanna: We would go up for homecoming almost every year, and making those trips, we would always talk about how much fun we had and what a great experience we had. So I don't know if he just remembered some of our stories, or enjoyed it enough himself. He toured several schools, but decided on Gannon.
Russ: I think he kind of appreciates what my wife does day in and day out and what it takes behind the scenes for an athlete to be ready for competition. He was interested in IUP for physical therapy, and I think he wanted to swim as well. I remember when we signed all three of our kids up for swimming, and thinking "What are we getting ourselves into," because it's such a grind. It's a long season for parents, let alone the kids, but they really shined and they enjoyed the sport. And 9-10 years after he started swimming, Andrew was at that level for Division II, and everything kind of clicked for him, the school, the program, the coach, the environment.
Deanna: He was also accepted into the 3+3 program for PT, which meant a lot to him. I explained to him that a lot of schools have you reapply for grad school. So he worked really hard his freshman year to maintain his grades. He really enjoys his professors, the campus, his classes, his team. He's having a really good experience.
 
Rung: You've been back to campus plenty of times since graduating, so there probably weren't any big surprises when you dropped Andrew off his freshman year, but how has campus changed since you were in school?
 
Deanna: The new Waldron Campus Center. That's amazing. That building.
Russ: Just the change to the rec center. And North Hall. I lived in University Apartments, and compared to North Hall, it's night and day difference. I think Gannon spent their money wisely, clearing whatever property they could to make it a little bit more of a campus feel for students. I think leadership has been spot-on in doing what, kind of what we wished we could have had when we were there. It's good to see that now that our kids are going there that they can utilize that stuff. Just walking around downtown. It was always a campus, but it feels a little more like Gannon has its spot carved out now.
Deanna: The archway, the green spaces they have out there. That's beautiful.
I was bummed they don't have the [Homecoming] parade anymore. I was involved in student government and started the Pre-PT Club, so it's exciting to see that that club is still going and student government is still going. But we were sad that there's no more parade. That was always fun. It would go down Sixth Street, starting down near Gridley Park and ended in the square at Old Main.
Russ: Erie is a city, but a lot of people know each other. It's a homey place where it's easy to get around and there's lots of culture. Gannon seems like it's in a good spot and people can utilize the location and environment for learning. I think those founders who wanted to put a campus downtown there, they knew what they were doing.
 
Rung: The swimming program was still pretty young when you were competing. What was it like then?

Russ: It seems like there were more dual meets back then. We were in what they called the Penn-Ohio Conference. There was us, Ashland, Cleveland State, Transylvania, Fairmont, Findlay, Bowling Green. There was probably about 10 schools. Division I, II, III. We swam Niagara, Buffalo State, Canisius, Grove City, Edinboro. Some of the schools were the same. It was good level swimming for back in the day. The program was only a few years old, and I think Pennsylvania, then and now, is a good swimming state. Deanna: Coaching high school, it seems like the kids are a lot faster now than we were.
 
Rung: What are some of your favorite moments or memories from your time at Gannon?
 
Deanna: I really value the liberal arts education I received. It's separate from those core studies for your major, but learning ethics and philosophy has made me a better therapist and person.
Russ: I don't think you can place just one memory, but there's friends that you can just call and pick up right where you left off.
Deanna: We went on vacation with six of our friends from college and their families last summer. Even people that we don't see in five or six years, you still feel like you can get together with them. Just a lot of good people.
Russ: In college, you're kind of excited and scared. You gravitate toward the people that you get along with and you create a bond and friendship that time and space won't affect. My wife was in a sorority and I was in a fraternity. We kind of got to have the whole experience of Gannon. The Greek life, athletics, the social life, the quality education. Whatever Gannon had to offer, we made the most of it.