The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2022 OLYMPIC SPORTS Two NCAA titles, 17 Big Ten championships, 26 All-America nods … Michigan women's swimming senior Maggie Mac- Neil enjoyed an outstanding career in Ann Arbor that con- cluded at the NCAA Championships March 16-19. She's still amazed at all of the accolades she racked up with the Maize and Blue. "It's definitely incredible; it's an amazing thing that I didn't think I'd ever experience or accomplish," MacNeil said. She shined outside of U-M, too. Representing Canada in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, MacNeil became the first Wolverine var- sity swimmer (female or male) to win three medals in a single Olympics. Her gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly made her the first U-M swimmer since 1964 to take first in a women's in- dividual event, and her 55.59 time was a new Americas record. She took silver with Team Canada in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x100-meter medley relay, swimming the butterfly leg. "It was definitely incredible," MacNeil said, reflecting upon last summer's games. "Michigan has such a rich history inter- nationally and in America of success collegiately and in the Olympic Games. To achieve that was really something special for me. I'm the first Michigan swimmer to have three medals in the Olympics. That's some- thing that I'll always cherish." This past academic year was a challenge for MacNeil, coming off the Tokyo Games, but she still thrived. At the NCAA Championships, she earned bronze medals in both the 500-yard freestyle (21.38) and 100-yard butterfly (49.18), and placed 10th in the 100-yard freestyle (47.42). Mac- Neil was a part of the 400 free relay team that finished fourth, the 400 medley relay team that took fifth, the 200 medley re- lay team that placed sixth and the 200 free relay team that finished seventh, giving her a total of six All-America honors and one All-America honor- able mention this year. She won three Big Ten titles the month prior, in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. MacNeil was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Year for a third straight season (2020-22), joining Indiana's Lilly King (2016-18) as the only two ath- letes to ever accomplish the feat. "This year, I would describe it as nothing other than a chal- lenge, but it definitely pushed me to be a better athlete and a better person," MacNeil said. "There were a lot of unknowns and changes in my life this year, but I'm grateful for pushing through and making it to the other side. I'll always remem- ber my fond moments at Michigan." MacNeil has one more year of eligibility remaining, and she'll use it at the University of California Berkeley while pursuing a master's degree. "I'm just excited to change up everything," the London, Ontario, native said. "I've always lived in the snow, and I'm excited to go somewhere where it's always warm. Getting to swim with [Cal head coach] Teri [McKeever], who's such a legendary coach, I'm really excited about it." After she graduates in 2023, MacNeil is planning on pre- paring for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and it's a quick turn- around considering the 2020 games were delayed and took place in 2021. "The next year is leading up to Paris, so that's definitely the long-term goal," MacNeil said. "That will be a year focused solely on swimming, and that's probably as far as I'm looking, as far as my career goes. And then we'll see how that goes." — Clayton Sayfie Maggie MacNeil Named Big Ten Swimmer Of The Year, Discusses Next Steps MacNeil, who earned her third straight Big Ten Swimmer of the Year award, compiled two individual national titles, 17 Big Ten championships and 26 All-America accolades during her four years at U-M. PHOTO BY MIKE COMER