Seton Hall Record-Breaking Swimmer Mike LaRosa Named Dr. Biden’s Press Sec.

Former Easton High and Seton Hall University swimmer Michael LaRosa has been named the Press Secretary for the incoming First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden.

LaRosa served as Dr. Biden’s chief spokesperson during the 2020 presidential election, which saw her husband Joe Biden win the presidency. Joe Biden will be inaugurated and assume office on Wednesday.

The Press Secretary for the incoming Biden administration Jen Psaki is also a former collegiate swimmer, at William & Mary.

LaRosa has also previously served as spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has held previous positions within the Obama Administration and on the MSNBC program “Hardball with Chris Matthews.”

Prior to moving into the upper echelons of Washington communications, LaRosa was an accomplished swimmer at the college level. He swam at Seton Hall from 2002 through 2006, where he set school records in both the 50 free (20.84) and 100 free (45.84) as a junior. Those times remain the 9th and 8th best swims in school history, respectively. He was also a member of the school’s record-setting 400 free relay team.

LaRosa was also a U.S. Open qualifier and a member of the Big East All-Academic team in all 4 years of his college career.

In 2003, he was graduated into the Easton High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Easton High School is located in the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania.

He was a two-time member of the Express-Times all-area first team, and an 11-time District 11 Class AAA champion. As a senior, he placed 4th in the PIAA State Championship meet in the 100 yard fly (51.33) and 7th in the 100 free (46.94).

In a 2012 interview, he compared his work in politics to that in sports, and credited his swim coaches for his abilities to thrive in the political scene.

“Politics is a lot like sports,” he said. “It’s all about the horse race. Working in politics or covering politics is just as time-consuming as being an athlete in training. You have to love what you’re doing, you have to be passionate and possess a competitive drive to succeed.”

“So far I’ve lived a two-dimensional life,” LaRosa said. “For almost 20 years I was living and breathing swimming. I have no regrets because I went as far as I could go. I’m honored to be on the record board and Easton and Seton Hall. I really got everything I could out of my athletic career and it all started at Easton, which is where I developed my competitive drive that I’ve kept with me in politics today.”