Reece Whitley was one of the nation’s top breaststrokers as a high schooler, collegiate athlete and international competitor.
That is his legacy in the water.
Out of the water, his legacy will go far beyond his fast times.
Whitley announced his retirement from competitive swimming on Thursday.
“Grateful for it all. Thank you to @calmenswim, USA Swimming and Penn Charter for your guidance in my athletic journey. Much love to my friends and family for embracing me along the way. Cheers to the next chapter and Go Bears!” Reece Whitley posted on Instagram.
Reece Whitley. May 2019 Issue
Whitley came back for a fifth year at Cal and helped lead the Bears to another NCAA title in March, capping his career on top.
“I really had to find my ‘Why?’ Why do you do this? What is the point of a fifth year for me? I love my team more than anything else, but there has to be a a personal aspect there, so I had to find that,” Reece Whitley said. “(This team) is exactly why I came back. To be with these guys – I couldn’t not. It was a really decision after thinking about it for a while. This one definitely means the most. There were a lot of challenges this year,” Whitley said. “We really do hold each other accountable. It is an incredible lineage of world-class gentlemen – all those guys in bear suits, that is who I wanted to be when I committed to Cal. I am a Bear for life.”
Whitley was a 17-time All-American at Cal. He also was a USA national champion in the 200 breaststroke.
Outside the water, Whitley had an even greater impact. He was part of Black Leadership and Aquatics Coalition, working with USA Swimming. He has spoken to club teams across the country about what needs to be done in the sport and throughout the nation.
“We have been participating in conversations in kind of a consulting role with USA Swimming on issues regarding race,” Whitley said in 2020. “We feel that our voice has the most visible black swimmers in our sport and we owe it to those who are not as visible as we are to make sure that USA Swimming is supporting them and doing things to help all USA Swimming members. We are extremely determined to promote long lasting change.”
It is a way Whitley has combined raising awareness for racial injustice, while promoting diversity within his sport.
“The conversation is at a point where it is not going to stop,” Reece Whitley during the pandemic. “A lot of people are very, very committed in seeing things through. Hopefully in my lifetime, I can sit back and say I was part of something — this generation was a part of something — that made great change for our country.”
That drive and passion that made Whitley one of the greatest breaststrokers of a generation is what will help the sport and more in the future. His legacy in the sport doesn’t end with his competitive career – it is just beginning.
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Great example of the type of employee who will go far. His company made a great choice.