Caroline Pennington is the reigning Pac-12 champion in the 1650 free
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – 2022 Pac-12 Champion Caroline Pennington is headed to Gainesville to join the Gators, head coach Anthony Nesty announced Friday morning.
Pennington tallied a productive freshman campaign at USC last year, including a conference title in the 1650 free with a personal-best time of 15:48.69, becoming the first Trojan to win the event in nearly six years.
At the 2022 NCAA Championships, she scored six points for USC, finishing 11th in the 1650 free, 45th in the 500 free, and was a member of the 800 free relay team that finished 20th.
A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, Pennington was the No. 19 ranked recruit in the high school class of 2021, according to SwimSwam, and moved to North Carolina in 2020 to train with the TAC Titans.
Pennington had a banner year in 2021, tallying seven second-place finishes across three national meets. She took second in both the 400-meter free (4:15.70) and the 1500-meter free (16:33.21) at the Pro Series in Richmond, and second in the 500-meter free (43.46) and 1650-meter free (16:03.21) at the Winter Junior Championships. At the US Open Greensboro, Pennington collected a trio of second place finishes in the 400-meter free, 800-meter free, and 1500-meter free.
A USA Junior National Team member, Pennington currently is the North Carolina 18 & under record holder in the 1650 free, and competed at the 2021 USA Swimming Wave II Olympic Trials, finishing 15th in the 1500-meter free, 19th in the 800-meter free, and 29th in the 400-meter free.
Pennington also excels in the classroom, being named to a First Team CSCAA Scholar All-American team last year and was a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American during her high school days.
Caroline Pennington | Free | Greenwich, Connecticut
* 2022 Pac-12 Champion in the 1650 free swimming a personal-best 15:48.69
* Finished 11th in the 1650 free, 45th in the 500 free, and was a member of the 800 free relay team that finished 20th at the NCAA Championships
* First Team CSCAA Scholar All-American
* North Carolina 18 & under record holder in the 1650 free
* USA Junior National Team member
* USA Swimming Scholastic All-American
