Charlie Swanson is a competitive swimmer who represents the United States internationally. The Virginia native swam for NOVA of Virginia under Geoff Brown before heading to the University of Michigan where he quickly made an impact.
University of Michigan
2016-2017
Swanson went to Michigan as part of an impressive freshman group that scored over 400 points for the Wolverines at the Big Ten Championships. Swanson added 71 points by himself, thanks to a gold medal in the 400 yard medley. As the only freshman swimmer in the finals, he dominated the race to finish more than three seconds ahead of second place. He also made the final of the 200 yard breaststroke, finishing eighth and added more points with a 10th place finish in the 200 yard medley.
2017-2018
Swanson continued to be a huge contributor for the wolverines. At the B1G Champs, he finished 9th in the 200 IM (1:43.05), repeated as champion in the 400 IM (3:39.16), and moved up to 5th in the 200 breast (1:53.70).
At the NCAA Championships, Swanson finished 6th in the 400 IM (3:39.93), 18th in the 200 breast (1:54.59), and 19th in the 200 IM (1:43.15).
2018-2019
In his junior year at Big 10’s, Swanson finally made the A-final in the 200 IM, finishing 5th overall with a 1:43.33. He also 3-peated as 400 IM champion in 3:39.87, and finished 3rd in the 200 breast (1:52.94).
At the NCAA Championships, Swanson finished 45th in the 200 IM (1:45.66), 20th in the 400 IM (3:43.61), and 9th in the 200 breast (1:52.09).
2019-2020
As a senior at the Big 10 Championships, Swanson 4-peated as 400 IM champion, going 3:40.26. He also finished 5th in the 200 IM (1:43.21) and 7th in the 200 breast (1:53.62).
National/International Swimming
Swanson was a member of the USA Junior National Team for the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons. In 2015 he earned his first international call up to the World Junior Swimming Championships in Singapore. In the 400 IM he finished just off the podium in 4th in 4:20:37.
A year later at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, he won his first international medals. He earned silver in the 400 meter medley behind his compatriot, Sean Grieshop, and a bronze in the 200 meter medley.
2016 U.S. Olympic Trials (Omaha, Nebraska)
Swanson qualified for four events at the Olympic Trials. He made it to the finals of the 400 meter medley, finishing seventh in 4:21.62. He also finished 38th in the 200 meter medley and 73rd in the 200 meter breaststroke.
2019 Pan American Games (Lima, Peru)
Swanson earned his first senior international medal at the Pan Am games, taking gold in the 400 IM in a huge personal best of 4:11.46. Swanson won the event by nearly 8 seconds.
