Arena, one of the world’s leading brands in aquatic sports, is pleased to announce a new sponsorship agreement with bronze medallist and 2012 NCAA Champion, Caitlin Leverenz. The 22-year-old American from Tucson, Arizona, first swam under the three-diamond banner at the 2013 FINA World Championships, currently happening in Barcelona, Spain.
“Caitlin is a talented and dedicated athlete, who is widely respected by teammates and coaches alike,” said Tim McCool, GM of Arena North America. “As a brand that stands for quality and speed, we are thrilled to not only add another one of the world’s fastest swimmers to our growing roster of Team USA athletes, but also to align with an ambassador who is as impressive in the water as she is out of it.”
Going in to this month’s World Championships, Leverenz boasts the year’s fourth-fastest 200m IM time (2:10.13), notched at the USA Swimming National Championships in June. Her continued progress in 2013, combined with last year’s success in London, has positioned her as a strong medal contender in the upcoming FINA World Championships.
Caitlin Leverenz, NCAA Champion & USA National Team Member (Image courtesy of Arena USA)
“I am so honored and proud to join other elite athletes around the world as part of Team Arena,” said Leverenz. “The technology and commitment to quality that Arena offers is something that was very important to me in choosing a partner, and I’m excited to race in Barcelona in the Mark 2. I look forward to working together with the growing team at Arena USA for years to come.”
Leverenz won her first international medals at the 2006 FINA World Youth Championships in Rio de Janeiro, where she garnered the 200m IM gold along with bronze medals in 100m and 200m breaststroke. She won her first senior international medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio, where she broke the championship record on her way to the 200m breaststroke gold. Her hopes of swimming in her first Olympics were dashed, however, when she narrowly missed out on making the US team at the 2008 national trials for Beijing, finishing third in 200m breast and fourth in the two IM events.
Leverenz returned to the international podium at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, where she won bronze medals in 200m and 400m IM. A year later she qualified in the same two events for the World Championships in Shanghai, where she made the final in both, finishing fifth and eighth respectively. Her progress continued in 2012 as she swam herself onto the U.S. Olympic Team for the Summer Games in London. In her first event – 400m IM – she qualified for the final, where she tied for sixth place. Three days later she realized her dream, posting a personal best time of 2:08.95 on her way to Olympic bronze.
For the past three years Caitlin has swum for the Cal Bears women’s swimming and diving team, for whom she has excelled in the NCAA championships, winning the 200 yard breaststroke and IM events in 2012. She is coached by Teri McKeever.
This release was provided to swimswam by Arena USA.