VILLANOVA, Pa. - Jason Moyer, a senior on the men's swimming squad, owns the Wildcats top times in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events this season. Last Saturday, he won the 100 and 200 freestyle races to help Villanova defeat the Providence Friars on the road, 117-83, for the squad's second-straight win.

Moyer, a native of Coopersburg, Pa., was also named the BIG EAST Men's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week on Tuesday for his performances in the squad's victories over United States Merchant Marine Academy and Providence. It came as his second conference honor on the year.

Villanova.com recently caught up with the Wildcat senior to see how his time on the Main Line has been during his final season at Villanova.

Villanova.com: You're entering the final semester of your senior year at Villanova. How has the experience been so far?
Jason Moyer: "Being a Wildcat for the last four years has been such a life changing experience. I can't say with honesty that it's all been easy, but the nature of Villanova helped me through any hard times that I faced while I was here. I knew I always loved Villanova for everything that it offered; academics, athletics, community, spirit and pride, faith, as well as an incredible amount of other things, and looking back I'm so happy that this is the path that my life has taken. Being a Wildcat has made me realize who I am, what I value, and what I want to do with my life. I think I can honestly say that because of the opportunities that I've been given and the difficulties that I've faced at Villanova, I am a better man because of it. I take pride in knowing that I'll be a Wildcat for life."

There are not too many meets between now and the BIG EAST Championships in New York this March. How is the team's preparation going for the conference championships this year?
"Extremely well. As a smaller Division I school we haven't always been able to hold our own in many of the dual meets, but don't let that confuse anyone to the strength and depth that we carry as a squad. Our head coach, Rick Simpson, holds a strong belief that swimming faster, more talented teams (such as NC State, Pitt, West Virginia, UCONN, and others on our schedule) in season when we're practicing at full strength and beat up, makes it easier on us when BIG EAST Championships come, and the teams aren't as strong as those I mentioned, and we're rested for that meet. And that's kind of a philosophy that we take to heart as a team because there is definitely something about looking a lane over and seeing the number one sprint freestyler in the nation, from Alabama, and just giving it your all. We've raced against the fastest, so mentally, we're prepared for whatever the BIG EAST has to throw at us."

When did you first get into swimming?
"I joined my local `pre-team' at 5 in the summer and was swimming competitively within months of that, and never really looked back. I had the same coach, John Neumann, from the time I was 5 all the way through high school and, actually the first year he wasn't involved in my swimming was my freshman year at Villanova. So just having that consistency really helped to keep pushing me to the next level throughout the years. It just always seemed to lead to the next step of competing and eventually I became a collegiate swimmer."

Do you remember who taught you how to swim?
"Yes! My brother and my cousin, who both swam in college as well, alongside my other big brother pushed me to learn how to swim at a really young age, and I'm really grateful for that. I was able to go off of the diving board and swim in deep water as early as, probably, four. So becoming adept at swimming was naturally the next step. I'm truly appreciative that my family and coaches really made such a concentrated effort for my improvement in the pool at such a young age."

What is your favorite event to swim?
"That's a tough question! Honestly, I don't know if I have a favorite event. I swim to compete, because I love the challenge of a race. My instinct is to do whatever I need to do to get to the wall first, no matter what the stroke or the distance. There's something really unique at looking at the guy next to you after a race, whether you won or lost, and having a mutual respect for each other because you were both pushed to your limit, physically and mentally. That's definitely a feeling that I'm going to miss."

What is your favorite memory from the team?
"This is an even harder question. I don't know how I could possibly pick a single moment from four years, with four different families that have been my teammates. One that sticks out is definitely cracking into the record books as a member of the 800 free relay at BIG EAST Championships in 2013 in Indianapolis, alongside Ben Smith, Russell Paulson, and Scott Thiede. That was the first record that the men had broken since, I think, 1998, so that is a really special memory."

In four years at Villanova, what has been the most interesting class you have taken?
"My engineering side wants me to say Thermal Fluid System Design; it was a class that let me finally apply the millions of calculations that I had learned into real life designs. My politically savvy nature definitely says American Foreign Policy; really cool class to understand the interconnectedness of the global community as seen through the American political spectrum."

What are your current plans for life after college?
"One of the reasons I chose Villanova was because of the prestigious Naval ROTC program, of which I am a part of. So, upon graduation I'll receive a commission in the U.S. Navy and start a career as a naval officer, something that I've guided myself towards achieving for almost a decade now."