Philip Riker III (born September 16, 1946) is an American former competition swimmer for the University of North Carolina, and a 1964 U.S. Olympic competitor in the 200-meter butterfly.
[1] A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Riker learned to swim around the age of three, and soon began attending meets in AAU competition.
Carl Robie, the silver medalist was an occasional swim rival for Riker at international competitions.
[15] After graduating Lawrence School, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he swam for Coach Pat Earey,[2] with the North Carolina Tar Heels swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1965 to 1968.
Riker won the NCAA National Championship in the 100 meter Butterfly in April 1966, with a time of 51.1 seconds, though he had done the event in 51 flat.
[16][1] He began his studies at North Carolina around February 1965, starting a semester late after his Olympic experience.
[1][19] As a leading AAU area swimmer, Riker was chosen to receive the Harry B. Gourley Memorial Award for 1964.