Women's Swimming & Diving Announces Class of 2026
7/27/2022
Princeton University women's swimming & diving Head Coach Bret Lundgaard has announced eight talented newcomers as the program's Class of 2026.
The Tigers welcome Caroline Lewitt, Meg Wheeler, Sabrina Johnston, Eliza Brown, Megan Reich, Margaret Hayes, Heidi Smithwick, and Charlotte Martinkus for the Class of 2026 to a squad that will strive to reclaim the Ivy League Championship in 2022-23.
The Class of 2026
Caroline Lewitt
London, England | Francis Holland School
Events: 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 freestyle, 200 IM
Top Times
50 Free LCM: 26.21
100 Free LCM: 56.87
200 Free LCM: 2.04.96
100 Fly LCM: 1.04.61
100 Back LCM: 1.03.54
200 Back LCM: 2.19.69
200 IM LCM: 2.19.21
50 Free SCM: 6.21 (23.61 SCY)
100 Free SCM - 56.04 (50.48 SCY)
200 Free SCM: 1.59.79 (1.47.91 SCY)
100 Back SCM: 1.02.87 (56.63 SCY)
200 Back SCM: 2.16.02 (2.02.54 SCY)
200 IM SCM: 2.15.68 (2.02.23 SCY)
Before Princeton: Selected onto the Swim England Junior National Squad for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 … five-time Age Group Medalist at British Summer National Championships (LCM) multiple years in a row … Middlesex County and London Region record holder … Medalist at English Open Nationals and Scottish Open Nationals … English Open Nationals: Gold 200 Free, 18 year and under … Scottish Open Short Course Nationals : Bronze 200 IM … * Member of the Swim England Talent Development Programme since 2018 … Achieved highest grades in GCSE and A Level national exams … 2022 Geography Award Recipient … Academic Selection as Mathematics Prefect for Grade 11/12 … Appointed Sixth Form Ambassador (leadership role on Student Council) - Joint Student & Faculty Selection.
Personal: Daughter of Paul and Wendi Lewitt … sister of James and Isaeblle Lewitt … her sister Isabelle rows at Dartmouth.
Meg Wheeler
Perth, Ontario, Canada | John McRae Secondary School
Events: Backstroke, IM
Top Times
400 IM LCM: 4:50.22
200 IM LCM: 2:17.49
200 Back LCM: 2:14.84
100 Back LCM: 1:03.04
Before Princeton: 2021 & 2022 Canadian Olympic & World Trials Qualifier … 2019, 2020 Dan Taylor Award for Academic Achievement & Swimming Excellence … 2022 Eastern Canadian Champion in the 50 back, 100 back, 400 IM … 2021 Ontario Junior International Bronze medalist in the 400 IM & 200 back … 14x Nepean Kanata Barracudas Record Holder (backstroke & IM) … 2018 Ontario Summer Games (triathlon) … 2018 National Cross-Country Championship … Honor Roll Grade 9-12, 4.0 GPA
Personal: Daughter of Bill Wheeler and Valerie Dickinson-Wheeler … her father Bill played baseball in college … has one sister, Maria, who is a competitive swimmer … loves Grey’s Anatomy, ice cream, and spending time at the Lake House with family and friends.
Sabrina Johnston
Chappaqua, N.Y. | Horace Greeley
Events: Back, Free, Fly
Top Times
100 Back: 53.49
50 Free: 22.70
100 Free: 49.37
100 Fly: 53.84
Before Princeton: All League, Section, State, and American for NYSPHSAA Swimming … Individual State Champion in the 50 free and 100 back at the 2021 NYSPHSAA Girls Federation Championship … USA Swimming Winter and Summer Junior Nationals qualifier and finalist … US Open qualifier … USA Swimming Scholastic all American 2019-2022 … Summa Cum Laude, Academic All American for NYSPHSAA Swimming
Personal: Daughter of Elaine Oh and James Johnston … has two siblings, Annabelle and Nathaniel Johnston … has a dog named Kipp … played the baritone saxophone all four years of high school in the symphonic band and jazz band.
Eliza Brown
Brookline, Mass. | Brookline
Events: Breastsroke, IM
Top Times
200 Breaststroke SCY: 2:12.97
400 IM SCY: 4:16.36 SCY
100 Breaststroke SCY: 1:02.64
200 Breaststroke LCM: 2:32.03
400 IM LCM: 4:51.11
100 Breaststroke LCM: 1:11.59
Before Princeton: Attended the 2021 US Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, NE and the 2022 US … International Team Trials in Greensboro, NC … Finished fifth-place at the 2021 US East Winter Junior Championships in Greensboro, NC … Attended the 2019 USA Swimming National Select Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. … 3x USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.
Personal: Daughter of Chuck Brown and Kathryn Brown … both parents to UCLA … her father, Chuck, played varsity water polo at UCLA and was captain during the 1986-87 season … has an older sister, Olivia, who graduated from Villanova in 2022 and was a four-year member of the varsity women’s volleyball team … has an older brother, Charlie, who attend Indiana University-Bloomington, and plays on the club water polo team.
North Hampton, N.H. | St. Thomas Aquinas
Events: Freestyle
Top Times
500 Free SCY: 4:47.60
200 Free SCY: 1:48.91
1000 Free SCY: 9:54.32
200 Free LCM: 2:04.34
400 Free LCM: 4:20.84
Before Princeton: NISCA & four-time Scholastic All American … Previous National Age Group Relay Record Holder … Current NH state records; 200 & 500 Freestyle … 6x State HS Champion … Undefeated High School Swim career … National Select Camp Swimmer … 2x “Seacoast Swimmer of the Year” … Graduated Top 10; #4 … National Honor Society … Spanish Honor Society … Smith Book Award; for outstanding academic achievement, leadership qualities and shows concern for others.
Personal: Daughter of Peter Reich and Wendy Reich … her father, Peter, swam at UMASS … has mother, Wendy, was on the track & field team at Boston University … has a brother, Max Reich, who is on the swimming & diving team at Indiana.
Bainbridge Island, Wash. | Bainbridge Island
Events: Fly, Free, IM
Top Times
200 Fly SCY: 1:59.54
200 IM SCY: 2:03.17
50 Free SCY: 23.47
100 Fly SCY: 54.55
400 IM: 4:23.43
200 Free: 1:50.62
Before Princeton: 2x individual high school State Champion … 4x relay high school State Champion … Jr. Nationals qualifier … USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team in '19/'20 and
'18/'19.
Personal: Daughter of Jennifer and Christian Hayes … has two brothers, Liam and Ronan Hayes … loves watching The Office … Taco Bell is her favorite food.
Heidi Smithwick
Jupiter, Florida | Jupiter
Events: Freestyle, Butterfly, Breaststroke
Top Times
50 Freestyle SCY: 22.72
100 Butterfly SCY: 53.85
200 Butterfly SCY: 1:58.76
100 Freestyle SCY: 50.55
100 Breaststroke SCY: 1:03.02
50 Freestyle LCM: 25.90
100 Butterfly LCM: 1:00.48
100 Freestyle LCM: 56.59
Before Princeton: FGC Girls 13-14 all time 50 Breaststroke Record Holder SCY … 2019 USA Swimming World 100 Team member (top 100 swimmers under 18 in world) … 2019 FHSAA-Class 4A State Finalist (3rd place) 50 Free … 2020 USA Swimming Girls National Select Camp attendee … USA Swimming Olympic Trials 2021 Wave II Qualifier (100 meter butterfly, 50 meter freestyle) … USA Swimming 2021 Olympic Trials Wave II Finalist (100 butterfly) … Palm Beach County Champion (200 IM, 500 Freestyle) … 2021 FHSAA Class 4A State Champion (50 Freestyle), Runner-Up (100 Butterfly) … Jupiter High School Swimming All-Time 10x record holder (50 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 200 IM, 200 Free, 500 Freestyle, 4x50 Medley Relay, 4x50 Freestyle Relay, 4x100 Freestyle Relay) … 4x USA Swimming Scholastic All American … 3x NISCA All American Designation … National Merit Scholarship Recipient … AP Scholar with Distinction … 2022 Pathfinder Finalist (Award in Palm Beach County) … top 10% of graduating class … 2020 National Student Leadership Conference Jupiter High School Nominee … National Honors Society … National English Honor Society … Social Studies Honor Society … National Science Honor Society … National French Honor Society … Math Honor Society.
Personal: Daughter of Natasha Raos Smithwick, who was raised in Montreal and graduated from UQAM with a degree in biology … daughter of Charlie Smithwick, who was raised in North Carolina and went to school at UC Santa Cruz … has a younger sister, Myriam, who is also a swimmer … has a pet poodle, Echo, who loves to go to the beach and chase birds … loves snorkeling, surfing, boating, and spending time in the ocean with friends … a Canadian citizen whose first language was French … played the clarinet for four years in middle school and high school … an avid reader … interested in studying Ecology and Evolutionary biology and Princeton, and hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Charlotte Martinkus
Weston, Mass. | Weston
Events: 1-meter diving, 3-meter diving
Before Princeton: 2022 Boston Globe Athlete of the Year … 2022 Academic All-American … 2022 State Champion … 2021 All State Champion … 2020 Boston Globe Athlete of the Year … 2020 State Champion … Sectional Champion 2020 … DCL Champion 2020 … Six dive pool and varsity record holder at Weston High School … AAU 2019 National Champion … Irish National Champion … USA National Diver … holds Freshman 6 and 11 dive records at Weston High School … 11 dive pool record holder at Weston High School … 4x All-American diver … Named a part of the Women’s swimming and diving USA Today High school sport award team … named a finalist to become the USA Today chosen athlete for the high school sport award … Boston Herald All-Scholastic 2021 … National Honor Society Member … DECA State Qualifier … Honors and AP student.
Personal: Daughter of Frances Murphy and Peter Martinkus … has two brothers, Jonathan and Peter Martinkus … has two mini bernedoodles that she loves … has been on three different continents in one day.
