Swimmer Carlos Almeida wins NCAA National Championship

By Ryan Martin–

Last week, Carlos Almeida made University of Louisville history by becoming the first Cardinal to win the 200-breaststroke at the Swimming & Diving NCAA National Championship in what became one of the closest 200-breasts in NCAA history.

Swimming World Magazine reported that there was only a .02 second difference between him and California’s Trevor Hoyt, and that Almeida put in the fourth fastest 200-breast of all time with a final time of 1:55:88.

These events took place at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington.

While Almeida won the breaststroke tournament, the university as a whole finished ninth of the 39 teams that participated.

This was a very important accomplishment for the university’s swimming program, as Almeida was the first ever University of Louisville swimmer to receive this honor.

“I just kept thinking about all the people who have supported me and I had to get into the wall for them,” Almeida, a senior from Lisbon, Portugal, told the Courier Journal after his victory.

He went on to describe his performance the day before and how he was trying not to get “out touched in the 100.”

Throughout his swimming career at the university, Almeida has earned many accomplishments, such as being a four time Big East performer his junior year, as well as taking third place in the 100-breast and breaking a university record by setting a time of 52.02.

However, this is the most significant highlight of his career. Almieda is currently competing in the Grand Prix in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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