University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
U.S. Paralympic Swimming National Championships
Chambers sets world record at U.S. Paralympic Swimming National Championships
12/18/2023 10:25:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
ORLANDO, Fla. --- UNI's Olivia Chambers and Cali Prochaska added to their para swimming national championship resumes this weekend, collecting four total medals and setting a new world record at the 2023 U.S. Paralympic Swimming National Championships at the Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center in central Florida.
Chambers, who is legally blind and categorized as an S13 athlete in para swimming, captured her third para swimming national title over the week, while setting a new world record in the S13 1,500-meter freestyle. Prochaska, a swimmer with proximal femoral focal disorder in her left leg and hip, earned her fifth national para swimming gold medal, while also increasing her national championship medal total to nine.
Friday's competition kicked off as Prochaska placed ninth in the S9 400-meter freestyle with a time of 5:07.00 finals time, a 13-second improvement from her preliminary time. She also placed fifth overall in the S9 100-meter butterfly (1:16.13). Chambers meanwhile opened the meet with a bronze medal performance in the S13 400-meter freestyle, clocking a 4:33.19 in the finals.
History was made on Saturday morning in the S13 1,500-meter freestyle as Chambers broke Rebecca Meyers' 2014 world record in the event with a time of 17:53.84 to finish in second-place in the combined S1-14 event. It is the first para swimming world record broken by Chambers, who entered this weekend's meet holding five American records. Chambers would also take home silver in the combined SB4-9, 11-13 100-meter breastroke on Saturday (1:20.25), while Prochaska swam in the B-final of SB8 100-meter breaststroke (1:42.16).
On the final day of competition on Sunday, Prochaska kicked off the action with a 1:11.87 swim in the S9 100-meter freestyle before clocking a 1:11.99 to place sixth in the finals. Chambers would add one more medal to her count on Sunday, swimming a 2:28.79 in the prelims of the SM13 200-meter individual medley en route to a two-second time drop in the finals of 2:26.19 to claim the gold medal.
UP NEXT
Chambers and Prochaska return to the pool on January 13 as the Panthers host Iowa State in a dual meet h at the Glen F. Henry Pool at 2 p.m. CT.
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2023 U.S. PARALYMPIC SWIMMING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS (Finals times listed)
OLIVIA CHAMBERS
- S13 400m Freestyle - 3rd Place (4:33.19)
- S13 1,500m Freestyle - 2nd Place (17:53.84) - World Record
- SB13 100m Breaststroke - 2nd Place (1:20.25)
- SM13 200m Individual Medley - 1st Place (2:26.19)
CALI PROCHASKA
- S9 400m Freestyle - 9th Place (5:07.00)
- S9 100m Butterfly - 5th Place (1:16.13)
- S9 1,500m Freestyle - 4th Place (21:06.20)
- SB8 100m Breaststroke - B Finalist (1:42.16)
- S9 100m Freestyle - 6th Place (1:11.99)
Players Mentioned
