Gleason breaks record

Gleason endured intense practices with Coach Frank Keefe, going over speed and endurance drills in order to prepare for his races—the 200-meter IM, 200-meter freestyle, and the 200-meter backstroke—at the NCAAs.

Gleason holds five Yale swimming records, participated in the 2000 Olympic games, and earlier this year was ranked first in the nation in the 200-meter IM. However, he finished a disappointing 35th out of 47 swimmers. "The 200 IM wasn't a good race mentally, and I didn't feel good physically after the race," Gleason explained. "But I had to put it behind me and focus on my next two races."

The next day Gleason posted a time of 1:38.72, earning him a 33rd-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle. Gleason entered the final day of competition with a number-22 seed in the 200-meter backstroke, his most consistent race. After qualifying for the finals with a 12th-place finish in the preliminary round, Gleason exploded in the finals with a time of 1:44.73, surpassing his personal best and breaking the Yale record by a hundredth of a second. Despite the low finishes at the beginning, with a stunning final race, Gleason established himself as one of the best swimmers in Yale history.

—Kevin Tran

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