Alex grew up in Ithaca, NY where he swam for Roy Staley and Ithaca Aquatics Club. The initial spark that ignited his eventual passion for open water swimming was listening to Roy tell stories about one of his swimmers who a couple decades earlier had swam the 40-mile length of Cayuga Lake, finishing at a local park in Ithaca after 20 hours of swimming. After high school, Alex left Ithaca to attend Harvard and swim for coach Tim Murphy, who was supportive of his interest in open water. He made his first National Team in 2009 after finishing 4th in his first-ever 10K, which qualified him for a spot on the FINA World Championships roster in the 25K event. After graduating college in 2010, he pursued a professional career specializing in open water events until retiring in 2016 after winning the 32km Traversee Internationale du Lac St Jean. During that time he competed in 4 more World Championships, winning one gold (2010) and one silver (2015) in the 25K, placed 10th at the 2012 Olympic Games, won four national titles in the 5K and 10K, and also won three FINA World Cup 10K races. He currently resides in the Boston area and still swims frequently.