IUP’S PAIGE MIKESELL IS A NATIONAL CHAMPION

IUP has a national champion swimmer.  On a historic day for IUP Swimming, junior Paige Mikesell won the national championship in the 200-meter freestyle at the 2021 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mikesell set a new IUP record with a time of 1:48.36, 16/100ths of a second faster than Lexie Baker of Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina.  Even more of a shocker, Mikesell entered the competition seeded 30^th out of 35 scheduled swimmers.  Earlier in the evening, Mikesell finished second in the 100 butterfly, with a school record time of 53.63, just .6 seconds behind Lucia Martelli of Delta State.

Mikesell’s win marks IUP’s first individual national champion since Jackie Hynson won the 200 butterfly with a Division II record time of 1:58.84 back in 2012.

In all, IUP had four All-American performances and set four new school records on the day.

The women’s 200 medley relay team, consisting of Paige Mikesell, Rachel Johnson, Claire Mikesell, and Iliana Oikonomou, earned honorable mention All-American, finishing 11^th.

The same four ladies earned first-team All-American in the 200 freestyle relay, finishing 8^th.

Rachel Johnson finished 23^rd in the timed 400 individual medley, and on the men’s side, freshman Luke Mikesell finished 17^th in the 200 freestyle.

The championships continue today with Johnson and Claire Mikesell swimming the 100 meter breaststroke, Paige Mikesell swimming the 200 butterfly, and Luke Mikesell the 500 freestyle.