Open water dynamo Becca Mann was born on Nov. 26, 1997 in Homer Glen, Illinois to parents Bob and Beth. From a very early age, Mann showed incredible talent in the water; at age 10 she became the youngest person to cross the Maui Channel, a 9.9 mile stretch from Maui to Lanai. Mann swam the Maui Channel in 6 hours 26 minutes and 46 seconds.
10-Under
Mann’s first swim club was the Academy Bullets in Illinois. She holds multiple Academy Bullets team records in the 11-12 age group ranging from the 100 free to the 800 free to the 400 IM. She is the former National Age Group record holder in the 11-12 800 meter free and the 1500 meter free. Mann broke National Age Group records in the 13-14 800 meter free, 1500 meter free, 400 meter IM, and the 1650 yard free.
Move to Clearwater
Mann was home schooled which has allowed her to move to Clearwater, Florida at a young age to train with former US Olympic team coach Randy Reese at the Clearwater Aquatic Team while maintaining her studies. Mann’s parents own homes in both Illinois and Florida which allows her to stay close to her family even with her intense training schedule.
Training with Reese has yielded good results in the pool for Mann. Her accomplishments at the US Open Water National Championships increased over the years: in 2010 she was 19th in the 5K, in 2011 she was second in the 5K and 11th in the 10K, in 2012 she was 11th in the 10K, and then in 2013 she was 2nd in both the 5K and the 10K.
College (Southern California)
On October 4, 2015, Mann announced her verbal commitment to swim for the USC trojans. Mann was rated as our #3 recruit nationally in terms of pool swimming, and that didn’t even take into account her open water prowess.
2016-2017
At her first Pac-12 Championships, Mann hit a 4th-place finish in the 1650 free (16:08.10). She was also 12th in the 500 free (4:42.44) and 16th in the 400 IM (4:17.00).
At the NCAA Championships, Mann finished 15th in the 500 free (4:40.61), 20th in the 1650 (16:04.57), and 38th in the 400 IM (4:13.92).
2017-2018
At the 2018 Pac-12 Championships, Mann once again achieved a 4th place finish in the 1650 (16:06.96). Mann also finished 11th in the 500 free (4:42.11) and 19th in the 400 IM (4:16.88).
At the 2018 NCAA Championships, Mann finished 40th in the 500 free (4:43.57), 39th in the 400 IM (4:16.71), and 18th in the 1650 (16:05.65).
Turning Pro
After 2 seasons at USC, Mann announced she was foregoing her final 2 seasons and turning professional. Mann said she would take a year off of school to focus on the open water Olympic qualification process, and then return to school and finish her degree.
National/International Competition
2012 Olympic Trials (Omaha, Nebraska)
In 2011 at, 13-years-old, Mann was one of the youngest swimmers to qualify for the 2012 US Olympic Trials, qualifying in the 800 free, 400 IM, 400 free, and the 200 fly.
While Mann did not make the 2012 US Olympic team, she did have an impressive Olympic Trials, finishing 5th in the 800 free and the 400 IM, 6th in the 400 free, and 10th in the 200 fly.
2012 Jr Pan Pacific Championships (Honolulu, Hawaii)
After her performance in the 10K at the 2012 US Open Water National Championships, Mann was named to the 2012-2013 US Open Water Junior National Team and the 2012 Junior Pan Pac team.
Mann’s first international competition was a great success; at the 2012 Junior Pan Pacs in Honolulu, Hawaii, the 14-year-old earned golds in the 10K, 400 IM, and the 1500 free, and a silver in the 800 free.
2013 World Championships (Barcelona, Spain)
Thanks to her two second-place finishes at the 2013 US Open Water National Championships, Mann earned a spot on the 2013 US World Championships Team. In Barcelona, the 15-year-old was 8th in both the 5K and 10K.
Mann’s national and international successes garnered her a place on the 2013-2014 US National Team.
2013 World Junior Championships (Dubai, UAE)
The young swimmer expanded on her international experience in August 2013 at the FINA World Junior Championships in Dubai. At the 4th occurrence of this meet, Mann was 1st in the 1500 free, 2nd in the 400 IM and 800 free, 4th in the 400 free, and 5th in the 200 fly.
Move to NBAC
In January of 2014, Mann told SwimSwam that she was moving to Baltimore to train under Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. This meant training with the likes of Olympic champions Michael Phelps, Allison Schmitt, and Conor Dwyer.
2014 Pan Pacific Championships (Gold Coast, Australia)
Mann earned a spot on the 2014 Pan Pacs team, and swam both in the pool and in open water in Australia. She placed 4th in the 800 free (8:22.45), and after the 10k was rescheduled, she placed 9th in the race.
2015 Open Water Nationals & World Championships (Kazan, Russia)
Mann had her best finish yet at an open water nationals in 2015, where she won the 10k event and qualified herself for the 2015 world championships team. In Kazan, Mann placed 14th in the 10k.
2017 World University Games (Taipei, Taiwan)
Mann represented the U.S. at the 2017 World University Games, but did not swim as USA withdrew its swimmers due to expected high air and water temperatures on race day.
2019 Pan American Games (Lima, Peru)
At the 2018 summer nationals, Mann qualified to swim at the 2019 Pan Ams in Lima. There, Mann won a bronze medal in the 1500 (16:23.23) and also placed 10th in the 10k.
1st Swimmer to Complete the Triple Maui Nui Channel Swim
On August 19, 2019, Mann became become the first swimmer to complete the Triple Maui Nui Channel Swim.
Mann took off from the island of Maui on Sunday, August 17th at 1 PM Pacific Standard Time (7 PM Eastern Standard Time) and completed the triple channel swim at approximately 10:55 AM Pacific Standard Time (4:55 PM Eastern Standard Time) on Monday, August 19th.
You can read Mann’s debrief of the swim here.
Originally developed by Christina Wright.
