By Allison Peters, Swimming World College Intern
READING – The Albright College swim team headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday for their 10-day training trip. The Lions traveled this year with not just sun and their practice schedule on their minds, but also their teammate who passed away in September, Matt Rein. Rein was said to have found his “natural habitat,” on his first trip to San Juan when he was a freshman.
The early morning of Sept. 13 will be one that the Albright swimmers will forever have etched into their memories.
A fire ignited in the basement of 1321 N. 13th St., an off-campus home to a handful of the Albright men’s swim team members. While three members of the team were able to escape by jumping off a second-story balcony, two others were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Rein, who had fallen asleep in the basement where the fire started, never escaped the blaze and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rein had just started his sophomore year at Albright, where he was an environmental science major. He was a member of the 800 freestyle relay team at the Middle Atlantic Conference championships last year, where he helped his teammates take gold. The relay also set a school record of 7:02.63. In addition, Rein holds the sixth-fastest time in the 1000 freestyle and the 10th-fastest time in the 500 freestyle in Albright’s history.
Dan Cahill, a senior swimmer in the previous season for the Lions who took over this year as graduate assistant coach, roomed with Rein in Puerto Rico last year.
“His attitude was phenomenal even after the tougher practices,” Cahill said. “Having him in the room helped me get through Puerto Rico. The two of us had a great time joking around, talking about things like video games, movies and television. It was always great to walk into the room and see Matt having cartoons on.”
Cahill recalled learning about how much of a history buff Rein was on the trip. He spoke about how on their afternoon off, they traveled to see El Morro, which is a fort in Puerto Rico named after King Philip II of Spain that was used to guard the entrance of the San Juan Bay.
“He was googling facts about the fort and the history of the area and to see how excited he was, was breath taking,” Cahill said. “At the fort, I really saw how much he appreciated everything. We stood looking at it in silence for a good five minutes, taking it all in. It was just awesome.”
Mitch Cain, a junior for the Lions, tried to explain how hard the trip will be without one of his best friends.
“Matt loved hanging out at the beach. One afternoon I told him I was going to go smash into waves and asked him to join me. He said maybe and went to sleep on the beach. Next thing I know I’m bracing for a big wave and I get pushed – by Matt. We spent the rest of the day pushing each other into waves,” Mitch recalled. “It’s one of the things I’ll miss with him in Puerto Rico, for sure.”
Rein was famous for always having on a Hawaiian shirt and shark tooth necklace, one of which the team passes around so swimmers can take turns wearing it. Hawaiian shirts could arguably be called the Lions official warm-ups this season, as they wear them every meet in his memory, along with caps that have his initials “MPR” on the side.
“The best way I can describe Matt,” Cahill said. “is how much he loved swimming. He never complained and made every stroke count. The best way I can say it is that you can’t train heart.”
Allison Peters is a junior distance specialist at Albright College. Previously, she trained at The Atlantic Club, and the New Jersey Race Club as well as swam for the Point Pleasant Borough High School team.
I’d write a letter to his family if I could. Sending them all my love and of course dropped everything to a long prayer. I want to be there to help more than anything and as they continue to remember Matt, remember that Christ meets our every need in every situation. There is no problem that is greater than Christ. There’s no situation that He cannot cover. Christ is unlimited. No matter how great your problem or how difficult your situation, Christ can cover it because He is unlimitedly spacious. I know those who have lots & remembering this brings them great joy and perfect peace. Merry Christmas.