MONA McSharry turned in a stunning performance at the 2021 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the weekend.
McSharry, a freshman at University of Tennessee, broke her own school record in the 200m breaststroke and also bested the school’s 100m breaststroke record.
The Grange native, who is a former member of Marlin’s Swimming Club in Ballyshannon, won silver in the 100m breast, turning in a school record of 57.80. seconds. The time eclipsed her own previous best, just a month after she took the time off Olympian Molly Hannis, 58.22 set in 2013.
McSharry was fourth in the nation in the 100m breaststroke with her 57.80 effort.
In the 200m, McSharry was third in the nation as she took her own record again in 2:05.01.
Tennessee ended the week with an electric performance in the 400 free relay. The quartet of McSharry, Bailey Grinter, Trude Rothrock and Tjasa Pintar finished fifth nationally in 3:12.66, which helped UT snag its 10th-place finish in the championships’ final event.
Barry Murphy, who represented Ireland at the 2012 Olympics and a former UT swimmer, Tweeted of McSharry: ‘This is amazing. For context, NCAAs is the fastest meet on the planet, faster than the Olympics. To do this as a freshman is outstanding & to break a school record held by a 2016 US Olympian is incredible. Great to see hard work paying off’.
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