Swimmer Matt Fallon’s assimilation back into student life at Penn post-Olympics has been the stuff of ‘legend’

Smokey Joe’s, a bar nicknamed “The Pennstitution,” has served Penn students since 1933. The walls of a bar affectionately known as “Smokes” are filled with sports memorabilia dating back to when Ivy League football reigned supreme and Penn basketball games routinely packed the Palestra. Among those reminders of the school’s storied past is a new addition — a signed Team USA swimming cap belonging to Matt Fallon, a senior swimmer at Penn and an Olympian.

Alongside the cap is a signed photograph of Fallon at the Olympic trials, held in June at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The black-and-white still is signed by Fallon, alongside a message that reads, “Thanks for all of the memories.”

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Fallon’s friend, Alan Cherches, a former Penn swimmer and a bouncer at Smokey Joe’s, urged him to give the memorabilia to the bar.

“The grand entrance [of the bar] is highlighting every single great athlete at Penn and their achievements on the big stages,” said Cherches, a junior. “Matt was like, ‘You think there’s any shot, one day, I could be up there?’ And I was like, ‘Dude, you’re a legend already.’”

Added Fallon: “People have always joked about it. Like, ‘Why isn’t your picture up there?’ … [So] I print out a black and white picture myself, I sign a cap, and I bring it to Smokes. Eventually, it’s up there.”

At the Olympic trials, a moment now immortalized at Smokey Joe’s, Fallon notched a record-breaking performance in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing in 2 minutes, 6.54 seconds. This performance punched his ticket to Paris. Leading into the Games, Fallon was projected to medal.

Paris had another plan, though. On the day of the semifinal, Fallon came down with a “small fever.” Although members of USA Swimming tested positive for COVID-19 during the Games, he did not contract the virus. What he did have forced Fallon to settle for a 10th-place finish in the breaststroke, missing the final by a mere 0.07 seconds.

Fallon, who had already competed internationally at the World Championships, explained that the Olympics “felt bigger” than any swim meet he had been a part of. He pointed to the confines of the Olympic Village as being unique.

“Just the entire ambience surrounding the meet [felt different],” Fallon said. “The bus ride from the village to the pool was around 45 minutes on a bus that’s not air-conditioned. It [was] like a public transportation bus that they repurposed for the Games. … I’d say the Olympics is much different than a regular swimming meet.”

Fallon did enjoy aspects of the Summer Games though, noting that the viral cardboard beds “weren’t as bad” as some made them seem. He even took home a particularly comfortable quilt that was supplied to Team USA.

Now, half a year after bumping elbows with track star Noah Lyles and living across from the U.S. gymnastics team, Fallon is back at Penn.

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“It was definitely a hard transition going back into the swing of things with school, and really just kind of getting used to everything again,” Fallon said.

Many Penn students have been characterized as overachieving, but Fallon surpasses the lofty academic standards set by the Ivy League. He is pursuing a dual degree in finance at the Wharton School and computer science at the School of Engineering while completing a minor in mathematics.

Despite his rigorous course load, Fallon regularly arrives to practice an hour early to train one-on-one with coach Mike Schnur before the rest of the swimming team arrives.

“Matt really doesn’t boast of his accomplishments or achievements. There’s a reason why he’s literally one of the fastest guys in the world,” Cherches said. “He trains his [expletive] off, and he’s been on the big stage for his whole life. He has been one of the top swimmers in the country for years now.”

Even if he may not admit it outright, Fallon’s accomplishments make him a top representative of the Ivy League. With this, he does see a bright future for the Ivies even as NIL opportunities have lured notable stars away.

“In terms of swimming, the Ivy League is definitely going to take a step up,” Fallon said. “I think also in other sports. … I’m going off of what I see in swimming, there’s definitely been a shift in terms of how many people are seeing the Ivy League as a place they could go and they can really improve.”

The senior has his eyes set on the Ivy League championships from Feb. 26 to March 1 at Brown. The NCAA men’s swimming championships are set for March 26-29 in Federal Way, Wash.

“Other than that,” Fallon said of the upcoming competitions, “it’s really just to have a good last year with the team.”

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