At one point, Gettysburg's Nicole Hasis never thought she'd swim again. Now, she has newfound expectations after overcoming a rare condition.
Gettysburg 's Nicole Hasis, center, is joined by her mother Janet, left, and father Walt, right, during a dual swim meet against Milton Hershey at Gettysburg College's Jaeger Athletic Center on Jan. 20, 2025.
GETTYSBURG — Nicole Hasis can often be found standing along the edge of the pool deck with her right arm raised high above her head. Sometimes she’s cheering. Sometimes she’s trying to help guide her Gettysburg teammates during races. Sure, it’s common practice in any natatorium. But when Hasis’ arm is up in the air, fist clenched, hand waving or pointing, it bears resemblance to a fighter being crowned the winner. Rightly so. The Warriors’ senior fought to be in this space. Competing in the sport she loves, being there with her teammates through the good times and the bad, was once beyond arm’s reach. That’s because just before her sophomore season, Hasis was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome , a rare group of birth disorders caused by compressed nerves or blood vessels in between the collarbone and first rib. In Hasis’ case, she was born with an extra muscle in her right shoulder. It cut off circulation and nerve conduction throughout her arm, causing pins-and-needles sensation. After swimming, she’d be in pain. Even sitting in the classroom and using a pencil was taxing. Surgery to remove the extra muscle was required. It came with a receipt: Hasis was sidelined the entire year. “Mentally, I had to really come to terms with that I was going to be behind in the beginning, just knowing I can’t hold such a high standard before I can actually come back,” Hasis said. Gettysburg's Nicole Hasis competes during a dual swim meet against Milton Hershey at Gettysburg College's Jaeger Athletic Center on Jan. 20, 2025.According to the National Institutes of Health, TOS affects just two to three per 100,000 people annually in the United States. Due to the condition’s rarity, it can often go undiagnosed, and thus the process was dragged out for Hasis. Symptoms grew worse, no one could come up with an answer. Every step of the way, her physical discomfort was matched by mental strain. She began feeling the symptoms the summer before her sophomore year. It was finally checked out in October. The first doctor didn’t believe Hasis had TOS. “I felt very crazy during that period, doctors making me feel like I’m crazy for thinking I have this because it’s so rare,” Hasis said.A formal diagnosis arrived in December, followed by surgery in February 2024 and six months of rehabilitation. Swimming was out of the question the entire time and beyond. Her rehabilitation began a month after her operation. Physical therapy, slowly getting back in the water, more kicking than actually swimming. It eventually built up to aerobics, then steadily adding more yardage until she could swim in a full capacity. It was a long, grueling recovery. It’s still ongoing to a degree. There’s a demand on one’s shoulders that comes with cutting time and improving as a swimmer. For Hasis, there’s a level of risk mitigation for flare-ups in her shoulder that persists today while continuing to build strength. “Sometimes her shoulder will flare up. She battles migraines. She’ll be in the pool, and I can see her swimming just changes because she’s in so much pain,” Gettysburg coach Amanda Petroccia said. “Having a cap and goggles on when you have a migraine, it’s just a terrible feeling.” Having the dedication to improve yet limit the pain has been a tightrope Hasis walks every day since being cleared to swim after half a year of rehabilitation. Sometimes the pain is too much. But it’s never enough to break her. “Even though I’ve been promised that because it was a birth deformity and they removed the extra muscle, I should be good to go, but the idea of something coming back keeping me out of the water again definitely weighs on your mind,” Hasis said. “I’ve learned it’s best to just focus on the present, and you really can’t control what the future holds.Gettysburg’s swim team became Hasis’ village when she returned to the varsity scene her junior year. She received unyielding support, and she has poured it in return, becoming a strong upperclassman leader in the process. Ranked in the top 90 overall in Pennsylvania’s Class of 2026, Hasis has talent across all four strokes. The York YMCA product was always adept in individual events, but since her return, she’s leaned into more relay work, often scratching individual races to help her squadmates if the chronic load becomes too much to bear. “Last year she had a good experience with high school, everybody welcomed her on the team,” Petroccia said. “She was used to swimming more independent races where it wasn’t a team score so much. In U.S. swimming, you get your times and try to make faster championship cuts. But high school is about scoring points for the team. I think that made it a bit more fun for her.” The Warriors grew closer. Some of Hasis’ teammates would ask her about the best strategies for their races. Hasis, even if she’s not at full strength, is a field general on the pool deck for Gettysburg when either the boys or girls squads are in action, and she’s not currently in an event herself. “It just became a real team after coming back from something that was devastating to me,” Hasis said. “This team environment really helped me. I’m just trying to support my teammates the same way they did in helping me come back.” And yet, for all the individual sacrifice for the betterment of the team, Hasis still notched a career milestone that wasn’t expected. During last year’s District 3 Class 3A championships, Hasis was operating with house money. Just qualifying was a victory in itself. Devoid of any expectations, Hasis still shattered them. A personal-best 24.88 in the 50 freestyle earned an eighth-place finish and her first District 3 medal. Her 100 free mark of 54.10 was just three spots from the podium. “I was there to compete,” Hasis said. “If I did well enough to get a medal, I’d be super happy. I was just happy enough that I made districts with everything I went through junior season coming back.” Gettysburg's Nicole Hasis competes during a dual swim meet against Milton Hershey at Gettysburg College's Jaeger Athletic Center on Jan. 20, 2025.During Gettysburg’s senior night on Jan. 20, Petroccia honored all nine seniors by picking words to describe them. Hasis’ word was ‘dedicated’. Dedication, to both Petroccia and Hasis, isn’t measured by a number on a scoreboard or time on a watch. It’s quantified by showing up every single day for oneself and others, a lesson Hasis has learned through trial by fire. “I was ready to give up very soon after I found out how long I’d be out,” Hasis said. “I think I’ve proven to myself that I am able to come back from adversity. And I never thought I’d be able to in the beginning with the surgery and diagnosing me because it’s so rare.” Once, never thinking she’d swim again, reality proved Hasis wrong. She’ll continue to compete at Dickinson College after graduation. “I finally learned that dedication is showing up every day, putting in the hard work, just meeting where you were yesterday, trying to be the best you can be from yesterday,” Hasis said. “Your only competitor is yourself instead of comparing yourself to other people. I learned to focus more on myself rather than how I used to compete with others.” As the first leg of the postseason begins next week with the Mid-Penn championships, Hasis has newfound expectations this time. She’s been a consistent first-place finisher in the sprint freestyles during dual meets all season, steadily building upon last year’s District 3 medal performance. She’s also ready to prioritize her teammates as she has been. She’s ready to show up for the entire program. For all the questions, pain and tumultuous months that followed, Hasis stays in the moment by being true to the word that defines her. It’s a trait she now helps instill in those around her. “Trust yourself and know that you know yourself the best. Push yourself to the best you believe you can achieve,” Hasis said. “Don’t give up at the first roadblock.”Former Pa. record-setting quarterback Alex Erby finds new home in PSACEvan Wheaton covers high school sports for PennLive. He joined after previous stops at the Williamsport Sun-Gazette and PA Prep Live. A Connecticut native, Wheaton graduated from Springfield College in...
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