Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Men's Swimming & Diving Announces Class of 2026
June 30, 2022 | Men's Swimming and Diving
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton university men's swimming & diving team will welcome eight talented newcomers as its Class of 2026, as announced by Head Coach Matt Crispino Wednesday morning.
"These eight young men are exactly the type of athletes and people who belong at Princeton, and I'm certain they will help elevate our team in and out of the pool," said Crispino. "Each of them has the talent and competitive drive to compete at the Ivy League and national level. I'm grateful to Abby Brethauer and Doug Lennox for putting in the work to find the right people to join the Princeton Swimming & Diving family. 2022-23 can't start soon enough!"
The Tigers' Class of 2026 consists of Lucas Strøbek, Lucas Tudoras, Conor McKenna, James Pan, Mitch Schott, Kael Mlinek, Rasmus Makela, and Daniel Kim. They will join a group of returners who finished a close second at the 2022 Ivy League Championships, where they won four events had nine members earn All-Ivy league honors. Princeton also had a 7-1 record in dual meets in 2022.
Lucas Strøbek
Hellerup, Denmark
Falkonergården Gymnasium
IM, Free
Top Times: SCM 200 IM 1:59.19, 400 IM 4:13.62, 200 Free 1:48.31, 400 Free 3:51,78; LCM 200 IM 2:03.82, 400 IM 4:26.83, 200 Back 2:04.72
Before Princeton: 10x Nordic Champion (junior and senior) … 21x Danish Champion (Age group, Junior and Senior) … Semi finalist at European Junior Championships … Two times winner of the Swimmer of the year award in Gentofte Swim club … Three times winner of Male performance of the year … Co-Valedictorian (Highest male GPA) … Winner of the Gentofte Swim Club Friendship Award … Athlete Representative, Gentofte County Council of Athletics
Personal: Son of Christian and Eva Strøbek … has two sisters, Sarah and Anna … majoring in economics.
Lucas Tudoras
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Colegio Benjamin Constant
50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 Back, 200 IM
Top Times: SCM 100 Free 49.87, 200 Free 1:48.62, 200 Back 1:59.79, 200 Fly 1:59.41; LCM 50 Free 23.50, 100 Free 50.39, 200 Free 1:51.06, 100 Fly 54.61, 200 Fly 2:02.86
Before Princeton: 15 Medals at the South American Youth Championship (2019) – 10 individual events and five relays being the athlete with the highest number of scored points of the championship … 11 Medals at the Brazilian Age Group Championship (2018) – eight individual events and three relays, being the first Brazilian swimmer to win all eight individual events (50, 400, and 1500 free, 100 and 200 fly, 200 IM, 100 and 200 back) … 10 Brazilian Age Group Records holder … best 13-14 Years Brazilian Male Swimmer of the Decade (2020) … four gold medals at the South American Youth Games (2022) … qualified to the Junior World Championships (2022) … gold medal in 2018, 2020, and 2021 and silver medal in 2019 at the International Mathematical Kangaroo … Commendation at the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Brazilian Mathematics Olympics … Gold medal in 2021 and silver medal in 2020 at the Brazilian Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics … Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English level C1, 2021 … C1 level certificate in German Proficiency 2020.
Personal: Son of Silviu Gabriel and Laura Maria Tudoras … has one brother, Nicholas Tudoras … speaks four languages (Portuguese, Romanian, English and German)
Conor McKenna
Frisco, Texas
Wakeland
Free, Fly
Top Times: SCY 100 Fly 46.84, 200 Fly 1:43.65, 50 Free 20.47, 100 Free 45.62, 200 free 1:37.92; LCM 200 Fly 2:00.13, 100 Fly 54.44
Before Princeton: Multi-time NISCA All-American … earned 14 First Team All-State honors … was a three-time individual state champion … led his team as the captain of a back-to-back state championship team … on the club swimming side, swam in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2021 Olympic Trials … anchored a relay that posted a nation-leading time at Junior Nationals … graduated Summa Cum Laude … received a distinction for community service … was a member of a handful of honor societies including NHS, Spanish NHS, and Science NHS.
Personal: Son of Kevin and DJ McKenna … both parents rowed crew in college … has an older brother, Jack, who swam at Army … has a younger brother, Declan, who is a diver in high school … majoring in Chemical engineering.
James Pan
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Breck
Breast, IM
Top Times: SCY 100 Breast 54.16, 200 IM 1:47.90, 100 Fly 49.90, 200 Free 1:40.90; LCM 100 Breast 1:04.84, 200 Breast 2:23.58, 200 IM 2:06.36
Before Princeton: 200 IM (1:47.90) and 100 breast (54.16) with MN Class A records in both … captain of the Bearstangs in 2021-22 season … multiple MN age group and high school records broken in both individual and relay events … USA Swimming Scholastic All-American all four years of high school … graduated with Cum Laude honors.
Personal: Son of Yongyi Pan and Yi Zhang.
Mitch Schott
Newport Beach, California
Culver Military Academy
500 Free, 200 Free, 100 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM
Top Times: SCY 500 Free 4:25.79, 200 Free 1:35.48, 100 Free 44.98; LCM 100 Free 50.33, 200 Free 1:51.05, 100 Fly 54.61, 200 IM 2:06.08
Before Princeton: Broke/hold every individual school record … 2022 Indiana State Champion in 200 Free (1:35.48 Y), third in State 500 Free … Team Captain senior year … swam for Irvine NOVAquatics … holds six individual and four relay team records, including 15-16 200 Free (1:51.70 L) formerly held by Tom Shields, 200 IM (2:06.20 L) formerly held by Aaron Piersol, and senior 400 Free Relay (3:19.61 L) … two-time Scholastic All-American … 2022 International Team Trials Qualifier … 2022 Excellence in Chinese Award … 2022 Athlete of the Year … 2022 YMCA Cup
Personal: Son of Paul and Darcie Schott … his father Paul played lacrosse at Bryant, graduating in 1986 … has an older sister, Josephine, and an older brother, Hayden, who is a baseball recruit at Columbia '23 … planning on majoring in Industrial Design
Kael Mlinek
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln Southwest
50 Breast, 100 Breast, 50 Free, 100 Free
Top Times: SCY 50 Breast 23.25 relay, 100 Breast 53.32, 100 Free 44.71, 50 Free 20.53
Before Princeton: National Champion 50 Breast (NCSA Spring 2022) … National Champion 200 and 400 Medley Relay (NCSA Spring 2021) … Summer Junior Nationals (2021,2022) … Winter Junior Nationals fourth place 100 Breast (2021) … five-time Individual State High School Champion … State High School record holder in 200 Medley Relay … six-time Individual High School Conference Champion … Conference record holder in 100 Breast, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay.
Personal: Son of Dara and Ed Mlinek … has a sister, Lanyon Mlinek, who swims at Colgate … majoring in computer science.
Rasmus Makela
Pori, Finland
UWCSEA East (Singapore)
Free
Top Times: LCM 200 Free 1:58.90; SCM 100 Free: 52.70, 400 Free 4:10.03
Before Princeton: Finnish Junior National Team member (2019-20) … FINA World Cup finalist 2019 … High school's Elite Athlete Award and Four Year Single Sport Award … High school record holder in multiple events … SEASAC conference champion (team/individual) and record holder in multiple events … winner of Tinkercad Student Design Contest and second place in the Hyundai/Kia Smart City Challenge.
Personal: Son of Riika Makela and Riku Makela … brother of Roope Makela … majoring in mechanical engineering.
Daniel Kim
Demarest, New Jersey
Northern Valley Demarest
500 Free, 1,000 Free, 1,650 Free
Top Times: SCY 500 Free 4:34, 1000 Free 9:27.07, 1650 Free: 15:59.96; LCM 800 Free 8:30.45, 1500 Free 16:14.13
Before Princeton: Invited to USA Swimming National Select Camp … Scholastic All American … HS Varsity Swim Team Captain and MVP … HS Swimming Team State Champions (2019) … AP Scholar with Distinction … National Honor Society … DECA Vice President and ICDC Qualifier … West Point Leadership Award … National Latin Exam Maxima Cum Laude.
Personal: Son of Jin Kim and Wonsun Choi … major is undecided.
"These eight young men are exactly the type of athletes and people who belong at Princeton, and I'm certain they will help elevate our team in and out of the pool," said Crispino. "Each of them has the talent and competitive drive to compete at the Ivy League and national level. I'm grateful to Abby Brethauer and Doug Lennox for putting in the work to find the right people to join the Princeton Swimming & Diving family. 2022-23 can't start soon enough!"
The Tigers' Class of 2026 consists of Lucas Strøbek, Lucas Tudoras, Conor McKenna, James Pan, Mitch Schott, Kael Mlinek, Rasmus Makela, and Daniel Kim. They will join a group of returners who finished a close second at the 2022 Ivy League Championships, where they won four events had nine members earn All-Ivy league honors. Princeton also had a 7-1 record in dual meets in 2022.
Lucas Strøbek
Hellerup, Denmark
Falkonergården Gymnasium
IM, Free
Top Times: SCM 200 IM 1:59.19, 400 IM 4:13.62, 200 Free 1:48.31, 400 Free 3:51,78; LCM 200 IM 2:03.82, 400 IM 4:26.83, 200 Back 2:04.72
Before Princeton: 10x Nordic Champion (junior and senior) … 21x Danish Champion (Age group, Junior and Senior) … Semi finalist at European Junior Championships … Two times winner of the Swimmer of the year award in Gentofte Swim club … Three times winner of Male performance of the year … Co-Valedictorian (Highest male GPA) … Winner of the Gentofte Swim Club Friendship Award … Athlete Representative, Gentofte County Council of Athletics
Personal: Son of Christian and Eva Strøbek … has two sisters, Sarah and Anna … majoring in economics.
Lucas Tudoras
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Colegio Benjamin Constant
50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 Back, 200 IM
Top Times: SCM 100 Free 49.87, 200 Free 1:48.62, 200 Back 1:59.79, 200 Fly 1:59.41; LCM 50 Free 23.50, 100 Free 50.39, 200 Free 1:51.06, 100 Fly 54.61, 200 Fly 2:02.86
Before Princeton: 15 Medals at the South American Youth Championship (2019) – 10 individual events and five relays being the athlete with the highest number of scored points of the championship … 11 Medals at the Brazilian Age Group Championship (2018) – eight individual events and three relays, being the first Brazilian swimmer to win all eight individual events (50, 400, and 1500 free, 100 and 200 fly, 200 IM, 100 and 200 back) … 10 Brazilian Age Group Records holder … best 13-14 Years Brazilian Male Swimmer of the Decade (2020) … four gold medals at the South American Youth Games (2022) … qualified to the Junior World Championships (2022) … gold medal in 2018, 2020, and 2021 and silver medal in 2019 at the International Mathematical Kangaroo … Commendation at the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Brazilian Mathematics Olympics … Gold medal in 2021 and silver medal in 2020 at the Brazilian Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics … Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English level C1, 2021 … C1 level certificate in German Proficiency 2020.
Personal: Son of Silviu Gabriel and Laura Maria Tudoras … has one brother, Nicholas Tudoras … speaks four languages (Portuguese, Romanian, English and German)
Conor McKenna
Frisco, Texas
Wakeland
Free, Fly
Top Times: SCY 100 Fly 46.84, 200 Fly 1:43.65, 50 Free 20.47, 100 Free 45.62, 200 free 1:37.92; LCM 200 Fly 2:00.13, 100 Fly 54.44
Before Princeton: Multi-time NISCA All-American … earned 14 First Team All-State honors … was a three-time individual state champion … led his team as the captain of a back-to-back state championship team … on the club swimming side, swam in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2021 Olympic Trials … anchored a relay that posted a nation-leading time at Junior Nationals … graduated Summa Cum Laude … received a distinction for community service … was a member of a handful of honor societies including NHS, Spanish NHS, and Science NHS.
Personal: Son of Kevin and DJ McKenna … both parents rowed crew in college … has an older brother, Jack, who swam at Army … has a younger brother, Declan, who is a diver in high school … majoring in Chemical engineering.
James Pan
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Breck
Breast, IM
Top Times: SCY 100 Breast 54.16, 200 IM 1:47.90, 100 Fly 49.90, 200 Free 1:40.90; LCM 100 Breast 1:04.84, 200 Breast 2:23.58, 200 IM 2:06.36
Before Princeton: 200 IM (1:47.90) and 100 breast (54.16) with MN Class A records in both … captain of the Bearstangs in 2021-22 season … multiple MN age group and high school records broken in both individual and relay events … USA Swimming Scholastic All-American all four years of high school … graduated with Cum Laude honors.
Personal: Son of Yongyi Pan and Yi Zhang.
Mitch Schott
Newport Beach, California
Culver Military Academy
500 Free, 200 Free, 100 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM
Top Times: SCY 500 Free 4:25.79, 200 Free 1:35.48, 100 Free 44.98; LCM 100 Free 50.33, 200 Free 1:51.05, 100 Fly 54.61, 200 IM 2:06.08
Before Princeton: Broke/hold every individual school record … 2022 Indiana State Champion in 200 Free (1:35.48 Y), third in State 500 Free … Team Captain senior year … swam for Irvine NOVAquatics … holds six individual and four relay team records, including 15-16 200 Free (1:51.70 L) formerly held by Tom Shields, 200 IM (2:06.20 L) formerly held by Aaron Piersol, and senior 400 Free Relay (3:19.61 L) … two-time Scholastic All-American … 2022 International Team Trials Qualifier … 2022 Excellence in Chinese Award … 2022 Athlete of the Year … 2022 YMCA Cup
Personal: Son of Paul and Darcie Schott … his father Paul played lacrosse at Bryant, graduating in 1986 … has an older sister, Josephine, and an older brother, Hayden, who is a baseball recruit at Columbia '23 … planning on majoring in Industrial Design
Kael Mlinek
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln Southwest
50 Breast, 100 Breast, 50 Free, 100 Free
Top Times: SCY 50 Breast 23.25 relay, 100 Breast 53.32, 100 Free 44.71, 50 Free 20.53
Before Princeton: National Champion 50 Breast (NCSA Spring 2022) … National Champion 200 and 400 Medley Relay (NCSA Spring 2021) … Summer Junior Nationals (2021,2022) … Winter Junior Nationals fourth place 100 Breast (2021) … five-time Individual State High School Champion … State High School record holder in 200 Medley Relay … six-time Individual High School Conference Champion … Conference record holder in 100 Breast, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay.
Personal: Son of Dara and Ed Mlinek … has a sister, Lanyon Mlinek, who swims at Colgate … majoring in computer science.
Rasmus Makela
Pori, Finland
UWCSEA East (Singapore)
Free
Top Times: LCM 200 Free 1:58.90; SCM 100 Free: 52.70, 400 Free 4:10.03
Before Princeton: Finnish Junior National Team member (2019-20) … FINA World Cup finalist 2019 … High school's Elite Athlete Award and Four Year Single Sport Award … High school record holder in multiple events … SEASAC conference champion (team/individual) and record holder in multiple events … winner of Tinkercad Student Design Contest and second place in the Hyundai/Kia Smart City Challenge.
Personal: Son of Riika Makela and Riku Makela … brother of Roope Makela … majoring in mechanical engineering.
Daniel Kim
Demarest, New Jersey
Northern Valley Demarest
500 Free, 1,000 Free, 1,650 Free
Top Times: SCY 500 Free 4:34, 1000 Free 9:27.07, 1650 Free: 15:59.96; LCM 800 Free 8:30.45, 1500 Free 16:14.13
Before Princeton: Invited to USA Swimming National Select Camp … Scholastic All American … HS Varsity Swim Team Captain and MVP … HS Swimming Team State Champions (2019) … AP Scholar with Distinction … National Honor Society … DECA Vice President and ICDC Qualifier … West Point Leadership Award … National Latin Exam Maxima Cum Laude.
Personal: Son of Jin Kim and Wonsun Choi … major is undecided.
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