Malia Rausch, a native of Austin, Texas, has announced her intentions to attend the University of Arizona this fall.
I am so excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic at the University of Arizona!! Thank you to ALL the coaches and teammates who have been a part of this journey. Bear down baby 🐻⬇️❤️💙
Rausch currently trains with Longhorn Aquatics, with whom she recently recorded her first personal best in nearly two years. At the Speedo Sectionals – Austin meet, she swam to a second-place finish in the 200 I.M., stopping the clock in 1:58.65. Previous to that, her best time was 1:59.41 dating back to 2020.
SwimSwam ranked Rausch as an Honorable Mention in the class of 2021 re-rankings and at the time had committed to swim for Ohio State University. The team’s website lists her on the roster for the 2021-2022 season, but there are no results of Rausch swimming for the Buckeyes.
Rausch has since revealed to SwimSwam that she suffers from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS and in dealing with the move to Ohio and college life struggled with her health and ultimately returned home to have her gallbladder removed and recover from it. Dealing with the medical issues and the mental health toll it took on her, Rausch initially decided to quit swimming but changed her mind when an old coach, Roric Fink, joined the staff at Arizona. Speaking on the issue, she told SwimSwam,
“It’s more than comforting knowing that I am going to swim where a coach already knows me and how my disorder presents very well. The idea of going to Arizona was solidified on my visit due to the beauty of the campus, the spirit of the team, the compassion of all the coaches, and the depth and variety in the athletic medical staff. ”
Malia Rausch (photo: Jack Spitser)
Prior to OSU, Rausch swam at both the Wave I and Wave II Olympic Trials. By nature of her finishing 1st in the 200m free (2:00.93) and 2nd in the 400m free (4:15.04), she qualified to move on to the Wave II meet where she swam the 200m I.M. touching the wall in 2:18.83, good for 47th, and the 400m free, where she was a little slower than her previous swim, this time swimming 4:17.44
In yards, most of her best times come from the 2020 18 & Under Winter Championships. Rausch swept the IM events as well as the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyles. In particular, in the 200 free she swam a personal best of 1:47.45 in the prelims to only then drop more time at finals, ultimately finishing in 1:45.96.
Best SCY Times:
- 200 Free – 1:45.96
- 500 Free – 4:40.26
- 1650 Free – 16:19.80
- 200 I.M. – 1:58.65
- 400 I.M. – 4:14.33
Augie Busch’s Arizona Wildcats finished in 6th place with 607 points at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships, behind Stanford’s 1725.5. Using last year’s times as a reference, Rausch will have an instantaneous impact when she arrives on campus.
Her best 400 I.M. time would have qualified her for 9th at Pac-12s (8th was 4:12.89) and her 200 I.M. time would have been 12th (8th was 1:58.31). In the six finals between these two events, only two Wildcats were among the possible 48. Senior Daisy Anderson was the highest finisher in the medley events, finishing 20th in the 400 (4:19.56).
Nowhere more than in the 500 free would Rausch’s impact be felt, where her best time would have qualified for 1st out of prelims and placed 6th in the final. In the 1650 timed final, she would have placed 6th and in the 200 free she would have qualified in 10th after prelims (8th was 1:45.37). Unlike in the IMs though Arizona did place a swimmer in the A final of the 200, junior Julia Heimstead, who ultimately finished in 8th (1:46.68).
While it was noted that Rausch’s best times in the freestyles date back to 2020, her season best in the 500 free is 4:41.79, which would still safely qualify her for the A-final. In fact, her season best is only .7 seconds off what it took to qualify in the 500 for the 2023 NCAAs. At that meet Arizona scored 52 points, all from diver Delaney Schnell.
Arizona is bringing a large crop of new talent to Tucson this fall. In addition to seven-time Olympic medalist and alumni Amanda Beard joining the staff, newcomers include Ava Sutphin, Julia Urbanowski, Hope Felner, Emma Kinsey, Kelsey Wasikowski, Brynn Stacey, and Caroline Kramer. The Arizona roster for the 2023-2024 season also lists Elisabeth Timmer and Ana Herceg as transfers.
A real “game changer” for Arizona would be to get rid of Augie Busch once and for all…
The real pro tips are in the comments.
In the realm of swimming, a game-changer arrives, A transfer of talent, with hopes that will thrive. Malia Rausch, a name to remember, Arizona’s new addition, a blazing ember. With every stroke, she weaves a tale, A story of dedication, resilience, and sails. The pool becomes her canvas, her realm to explore, Her determination shining, forevermore. Arizona picks up a gem so rare, Malia’s skills, a force beyond compare. A game-changer, they have found, A swimmer of strength, both bold and profound. Through water’s embrace, she dances with grace, Ripples and waves, she leaves in her chase. Her presence elevates, a spark in the air, Malia Rausch, a game-changer, beyond compare. With Arizona’s embrace, her journey begins, New connections formed,… Read more »
Are you fr gonna keep doing this?
I hope her health recovers and she can contribution to her new team. She’ll get plenty of Vitamin D from the Tucson sun if that helps her POTS.
My daughter has POTS, and it’s pretty tricky to manage. Congrats and good luck Malia!
Which one’s Malia?
Announcing her choice,
Malia swims to Arizona,
A fresh wave of hope.
Good luck, Malia!