Alexa Fitzgerald
Honorable Mention All-American is the latest accolade for Mal Vishwanath (‘20) to add to her trophy case, after being the first Drew University swimmer in nearly two decades to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. The championships were held in Indianapolis, IN from March 21-24. Vishwanath was the No. 17 seed in the 1650 freestyle, the No. 28 seed in the 500 freestyle, and the No. 30 seed in the 200 freestyle.
The Landmark Conference Swimmer of the Year, Vishwanath broke the Drew University and Landmark Conference record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:52.40. Her time was .04 seconds faster than her previous best, it landed her in 23rd position, seven places higher than her expected finish. Vishwanath then swam in the 500 freestyle clocking in at 5:02.05, giving her 22nd place, which once again beat her expected finish by six places.
On reminiscing about her time in Indianapolis Vishwanath said, “I had the best time ever being surrounded by the top swimmers of the country, being able to watch some amazing races.”
In her best event, the 1650 freestyle, which allowed her to qualify for Nationals with the school record time of 17:09.51, Vishwanath beat the odds again. She took 15th place in the 1650 freestyle coming in at 17:12.63. Her effort gave Drew University two points in the team standings. Vishwanath, as the school’s only representative, officially placed Drew in a 48th place tie for team standings.
As for next season, Vishwanath will be back in the pool for the Rangers. She said, “I definitely hope to qualify and compete again the next couple of years, and my main goal is to work harder and hopefully get faster!”
