Rising junior Macy Rink has transferred from Iowa to Mizzou for the 2021-2022 season. Rink spent her first 2 NCAA seasons at Iowa, where she contributed to a 4th-place finish in the 800 free relay at the 2020 Big Ten Championships. Rink anchored that relay in 1:47.67, helping Iowa to a 7:04.70 finish, shattering the school record of 7:08.06.
In her first Big Ten Champs (2020), Rink also competed on the 400 free relay, which came in 10th. Individually, she made the C final in the 200 free, finishing 21st in finals with a 1:47.91.
As a sophomore, Rink kicked off her 2021 Big Tens with a bang, leading off Iowa’s 800 free relay in 1:46.99, establishing her personal best time. She then went on to win the C final of the 200 free in 1:48.03, and was a C finalist in the 500. Additionally, Rink provided a 22.75 split on Iowa’s 200 free relay, and a 50.33 lead-off on the 400 free relay, which was a lifetime best.
Rink improved significantly in her two years at Iowa, especially in the 500. She entered Iowa as a 5:03.03 500 freestyler, then came all the way down to 4:50.74 in her freshman season. She then chipped a little off that time in her sophomore season, coming down to 4:50.61. Rink also started at Iowa as a 1:49.40 in the 200 free, and was able to come down to 1:46.99 in her two years with the Hawkeyes.
Rink’s transfer comes in the wake of Iowa discontinuing their swimming & diving programs, before later reinstating the women’s program. Many now-former Hawkeyes opted to leave as well, leaving Iowa with just 12 athletes for the 2021-2022 season. Speaking on the decision to transfer, Rink says she was “disappointed in Iowa’s initial decision to discontinue the swim program, but wanted to rebound and use it as an opportunity to grow.”
Continuing, Rink went on to say she was looking for a program that would “challenge me and give me the tools to succeed,” adding that she believes Mizzou will do that. According to Rink, she had to do her recruitment entirely virtually, but Zoom calls with the team sold her on the team culture, and that was the determining factor. She also mentioned to SwimSwam that the academic resources available at Mizzou drew her there as well.
Here is breakdown of Rink’s personal bests in yards:
- 200 free – 1:46.99
- 500 free – 4:50.61
- 1000 free – 10:10.12
- 100 free – 50.33
- 50 free – 24.17 (22.75 relay split)
Rink is a big pickup for Mizzou. She would have been the fastest individual 200 freestyler on the team last year, and the 4th-fastest 500 freestyler. Her 100 free time also would have made her 7th on the 2020-2021 roster. Additionally, Rink could be helpful to Mizzou in the 1000 free at dual meets.
At the 2021 SEC Championships, Rink’s times would have put her 17th in prelims of the 200 free, and just outside qualifying for the C final in the 500 free. Mizzou finished 7th in the team standings at last year’s SECs.
Anybody have an update on Marc Long? Dude has vanished since his resignation.