Redshirt Freshman Ben Sampson became the fastest American Division Two swimmer of all time after smashing Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU’s) 100 yard backstroke record during the A3 Performance Invitational (A3).
In total, Sampson won two individual and six overall events in the four-day meet. He broke seven meet records and was fittingly accoladed as the Male Swimmer of the meet.
The Arvada, Colo. native’s 46.36 backstroke split automatically qualified him for the Division Two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships in March.
Sampson was not always breaking records in the pool. In high school, Sampson was only able to train during the high school season in the winter, a product of growing up half the year in Arvada and the other half in Costa Rica.
Sampson did not receive any collegiate offers after graduating from Ralston Valley High School. Nonetheless, Sampson enjoyed the sport and saw enough success to pursue it through college.
“I was coming into CMU as probably one of the worst swimmers on the team. I did not get much help in high school, but I still loved the sport and thought it was super fun. As soon as I got here, [Men’s Swim Coach Mickey] Wender and I instantly clicked. He is the reason that I’ve gone this far in the sport. He is a great coach; he has pushed me and I definitely owe a lot to him throughout my career so far,” Sampson said.
Sampson joined the team as a walk-on with little experience. Under Wender’s guidance, Sampson quickly improved to one of the stronger swimmers on the team his freshman year during the 2020-2021 season.
He was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Freshman of the Year and qualified for RMAC and the Division Two National Championships. He was also a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
“[My training] has not been that much different than in past years. But, since I have gotten to college, I started to find a new love for swimming and that has really catapulted where I’m at with the sport. I hold very high expectations of myself and have big goals that have pushed my limits,” Sampson said.
This year, Sampson put his name on the national spotlight. During Sampson’s historic A3 performance, Sampson won two individual and six overall events in the four-day meet. He broke seven meet records and was fittingly accoladed as the Male Swimmer of the meet.
“Ben is a great teammate. He always pushes himself and it is fun to push him to go faster at practice. He is great at encouraging others to get through a difficult set. One time, one of his fellow backstokers was struggling to get under his goal times in a set and Ben said, ‘what are you going to do about it? Let’s get there.’ And then he hit his goal time. Ben is a pretty calm, collected guy outside of practice, and it is fun to coach him,” Senior Lane Austin said.
Although he is only halfway through the season, Sampson’s 46.36 record-breaking backstroke split automatically qualified him for the D-II National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships in March.
Sampson hopes to one-day win a NCAA National Championship and to be an Olympic Trial Finalist.
