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Junior Nationals Medalist Maddie Blackwell Blackwell has verbally committed to continue her swimming career and study at Dartmouth College this fall. Blackwell currently trains with Orinda Aquatics and attends Campolindo High School in California.
“I am excited to announce my decision to swim and study at Dartmouth College. From the moment I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the campus and the atmosphere of intellectual curiosity. So many people were friendly and welcoming, so I knew I was in the right place. Coach Milana has encouraged and supported me from the moment I arrived, and I am confident that this team culture will help me thrive as I swim and prepare academically for my future.”
Blackwell led Orinda Aquatics' 400-meter freestyle relay to a seventh-place finish in a time of 51.37 seconds at the 2022 Winter Junior Championships Western Meet, earning Pacific Swimming Relay of the Year honors for the team's performance.
That experience swimming a relay at a major meet will be invaluable when she heads to Dartmouth College this fall. Her relay team's time of 3:22.84 beat the fifth-fastest relay time in Dartmouth history and fell just 0.66 seconds short of the school's third-fastest time.
Blackwell was a two-time finalist at the Speed Sectional (Novato) in 2023, placing fourth in the 100-yard freestyle (51.16) and sixth in the 50-yard freestyle (23.97). She has achieved 10 personal bests in 2023 and seven personal bests in 2024 thus far.
Blackwell's time in the 200 freestyle (1:50.89) was Dartmouth's second-fastest time of the season, beating the current second-place time by nearly a second. Additionally, her best times in the 50 freestyle (23.60) and 100 freestyle (51.16) rank her fourth overall on the team this year, and she should have an immediate impact on the relays.
SCY Times Top
- 50 Free – 23.60
- 100m Freestyle – 51.16
- 200m Freestyle – 1:50.89
- 100 Fly – 55.90
Dartmouth College was eliminated just a few years later, then eventually reinstated, but finished last among eight women's programs in the 2024 Ivy League Championship.
For the past five years, Blackwell has dedicated himself to coaching Special Olympics swimmers and also organizes an annual swim meet where athletes can compete alongside neurologically normal club swimmers.
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