Hall of Fame
Pam McCamman was an All-American swimmer and conference placewinner who competed for Shippensburg University from 1989-1992. She was a member of the Lady Raider program in 1991-92 that finished eighth in Division II – the highest national finish by a women’s swimming team in school history.
McCamman began her career as an integral member of four relay squads at the conference championships during her freshman season of 1989-90. She was the anchor of the 400 medley relay while also serving as the third leg on the 200, 400 and 800 free relay teams.
As a sophomore, McCamman posted a split time of 53.89 seconds on the team’s 400 free relay squad that qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished second at the PSAC Championships. She also posted a split of 24.54 seconds on the 200 free relay squad that finished second at the conference championships. McCamman was not able to compete at the NCAA Championships because her Air Force National Guard unit was summoned to the Middle East for the Persian Gulf War.
McCamman was a part of Shippensburg history during her junior season. She swam the fastest opening leg of any PSAC competitor in the 200 free relay and was instrumental in Shippensburg’s conference championship for that event, posting an NCAA qualifying time of 1:37.27.
At the national championships, Shippensburg was entered in all five relay events and set school records in every event except for the 200 free relay. McCamman swam the second leg of the 400 free relay in 52.44 seconds to help Shippensburg establish the school record time of 3:29.74 and finish second in Division II.
McCamman also swam the second leg of the 800 free relay in a time of 1:55.33 to finish fourth in Division II with a time of 7:40.22 that erased nine seconds off the previous school record. Her third All-American certificate came in the 400 medley relay, an event that McCamman anchored with a split time of 52.75 seconds and in which Shippensburg placed ninth overall with a time of 4:00.16.
Following her sensational junior season, McCamman was looking forward to her senior year but that summer was the victim of a serious automobile accident. McCamman suffered severe injuries that caused her to suspend her education for several years and prevented her from completing her athletic eligibility. She returned to Shippensburg and graduated in 1998.
To this day, Pam remains associated with the Air National Guard. Her inspirational story is a testament to her outstanding athletic prowess as well as her determination and her ability to overcome adversity.
