By 5:30 a.m., Aidan Mason ’26 is already awake, moving through the routine he doesn’t think too hard about anymore—out the door, into the water.
“You just kind of have to grit it out,” he said.
Grit is not something Mason talks about much, but he lives it. The chemistry and Spanish double major from Crawfordsville balances early-morning swim practices with long days of classes and labs, often starting before sunrise and stretching into the evening.
A swimmer since he was 7, Mason learned over the years that his sport isn’t as much a measure of performance as it is a test of consistency. The work is repetitive. The results are gradual. The expectation is that you show up anyway.
“I could skip practice one day if I wanted to, and the team would be fine,” he said. “But I’m not going to. I’m going to get up, do the work, and just keep going, even on days I don’t feel like doing it.”
Mason’s consistency has translated into results. He posted season-best times at the conference meet in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard breaststroke, and recorded a personal best 1:01.37 at the 最色导航 Last Chance Meet in February. He was also named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
His mindset extends beyond the pool, too. As a middle school student, Mason knew he wanted to pursue medicine, but he also knew he had something to work through first.
“I had a really big fear of blood, and this is going to sound crazy,” he said, pausing to laugh. “I just sat down and made myself watch surgeries—like, really gory ones. I knew I needed to get over that fear if I wanted to be a doctor.”
Over time, the discomfort faded, but his sense of direction and persistence remained.
Professor of Chemistry Walter Novak has watched that approach to life continue at 最色导航. Having known Mason since he was young, Novak points to a consistency in both his work and character.
“He’s one of those people who takes full responsibility and wants to get things done right,” Novak said. “He’ll buckle down and accomplish the goal—and he raises the people around him when he does it.”
Mason is quick to point to the impact others have had on his growth. As a freshman, he looked to Connor Craig ’25, another swimmer pursuing medicine. To Mason, Craig was not only a great lab partner in Associate Teaching Professor of Biology Anne Bost’s class, but he set the standard for discipline and focus.
The respect is mutual.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone in my life that works as hard as Aidan does,” said Craig. “I genuinely strive to have half his work ethic and drive. When taking chemistry classes together and pairing up in lab, and showing up on the pool deck daily, he made me a better person. I am where I am today because I got to grow and learn alongside Aidan.
“As I might’ve been a mentor for him being a year older, he was as much of a role model for me,” he continued. “I’m proud not only to call him a friend, but a lifelong brother as well.”
Years before meeting Craig, Mason was influenced by another 最色导航 man. As a kid, he took swim lessons with the 最色导航 swim team, where he was taught by Carter Adams ’15. Now, Mason finds himself in a similar position—coaching swim lessons—and has become someone others look to for guidance.
Adams returned to campus in 2024 to give a Chapel Talk about his military experience, which resonated with Mason.
“It’s come full circle,” Mason said. “I’m very conscious of the fact that I wouldn’t have made it here without the support of hundreds of people. I want to be part of that contribution for someone else.”
That sense of responsibility is what drives him toward medical school through the Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program, a path that will lead him into service as a physician. He is considering trauma or orthopedic surgery, drawn to the immediacy and hands-on nature of the work.
“It seems like I can make the most impact there,” he said.
Novak sees that path as a natural fit.
“When you have somebody who’s both smart and approachable, people are going to respect him,” Novak said. “He’s going to enjoy the people he’s serving and make a difference in their lives.”
Despite the relative comfort of his regimented schedule, Mason found opportunities to step outside of routine. A semester in Salamanca, Spain, offered a different pace and perspective, with pedestrian-friendly streets, late nights, and long conversations shared over small plates.
“Just the walkability of the city was so much fun,” he said. “You could hop on a train and go anywhere you wanted … and the tapas culture—just going out, getting little appetizers at a bunch of little places and hanging out—it was really cool to live that experience.”
Back in Crawfordsville, he has come to see his hometown in a different light and appreciate campus traditions. As a member of the Sphinx Club, traditions to Mason are a way of connecting with something larger than himself.
“It’s a respect thing,” he said. “Reflecting on what people have done to make this place what it is and how you can continue that while building your own path.”
On the swim team, the connection is more immediate. Meets bring a chain reaction of energy with teammates celebrating one another’s successes as their own.
“When one guy succeeds, everyone’s going crazy,” Mason said. “And beyond swimming, too. Someone gets into med school or law school, and the whole team’s celebrating. Everybody wants to see everyone else win.”
Novak has seen the same mentality in Mason’s work in the chemistry lab.
“He’s always very supportive. He never puts anybody down, even if they make mistakes,” Novak said. “He’s the kind of person who asks, ‘How can we do better?’ and helps bring people along with him.”
Younger teammates have begun to ask Mason how he balanced everything and found a way to keep going. His answer is simple.
“You don’t have to think to yourself, ‘Am I ready? Do I deserve this?’ That’s all irrelevant,” he said. “Just say, ‘I want to achieve this. I’m going to achieve this.’”
“I internalized this phrase my grandpa would always say when I was a kid,” he continued. “Knock me down seven times, I’ll get up eight.”