Bucks County Swimming Standout, Penn State Commit Mourned

BUCKINGHAM TOWNSHIP, PA — Funeral services will be held Wednesday for Bucks County swimming standout Marcus Papanikolaou, 17, who died Friday in a one car crash in Northampton Township.

Papanikolaou, who had just begun his senior year of high school, recently committed to swim at the Pennsylvania State University and was looking forward to one day training for the Olympics.

“I am heartbroken for the family, for his teammates and his friends,” wrote Penn State associate head coach Dan Carrington on his Instagram account. "Marcus was a young man with a genuine smile and eyes (when his hair was short enough to see them) who was a pleasure to be around. He was quiet and thoughtful but when you spoke he listened. Our last conversation was how he submitted his application and was excited for his senior year of high school. A loss like this is difficult to understand. Marcus, you are dearly missed.”

In March of this year, he was a two time finalist swimming for Central Bucks East at the PIAA Boys 3A State Championship, winning third place in the 100 Y Free with a time of 45.20 and 4th in the 50 Y Free with a time of 20.61.

On August 3, competing in the Eastern Zone Region Championships, he finished first in the 100 L Free with a time of 51.97. He also won third place in the 100 L Fly with a time of 56.32.

Papanikolaou was also one of eight Middle Atlantic swimming standouts selected to USA Swimming’s 2022 National Select Camp, which he attended with his BeFirst Swim Team club coach Aleksandr Filimonov, according to the swimming website SwimSwam.

On his Facebook page, Filimonov said he had been waiting for Marcus for training on Saturday when he never showed up.

"I can't believe this happened! Very, very sad. He was a great - a guy who loved life and loved to live. I remember the first time he came to training. He was 8 years old. Today he is the top swimmer in America," said Filimonov.

"As a coach, I learned many things from him. I was amazed by his concentration and calmness before the start. He calmed me down more than I did him," he wrote. "His words: 'Sasha, don't worry. I'm ready.' It always seemed to me that he was not ready, that we did not work on something in training. But his attitude, confidence and calmness gave me confidence that everything would be fine. He could set a record during training so as not to swim for two hours and leave earlier. Sometimes this was the deal with him.

"I am grateful to fate that I had the opportunity to work with you," he wrote to Marcus. "Thank you from all our swimmers for having the opportunity to train with you. You will forever remain a champion and an example for all young athletes. RIP champion!"

A viewing and service in honor of Marcus will be held on October 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church located at 6501 Bustleton Ave., Philadelphia 19149.

Following the service, internment will take place at All Saints Cemetery in Newtown located at 291 Durham Road, Newtown 18940.

He is survived by his parents, Pete and Christina Papanikolaou; a brother, Maximus; his grandparents Simizar and Ivan and Vasiliki and George. Marcus will also be missed by his aunts, Sofia and Olympia and uncles, George and Chris, along with numerous loving relatives and friends.

His obituary reads, "Marcus will be remembered for his warm heart, kind spirit, and the joy he brought to those around him. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him."

A GoFundMe account has been set up by family friend Dmitriy Kichin to raise money to defray funeral expenses.