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Local swimmer was leading scorer on top team in women’s standings at U.S. national championships


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Mariah Denigan, 19, of Walton, was the leading scorer for the Indiana Swim Club that won the women’s team title at the 2022 U.S. National Swimming Championships two weeks ago in California.

A sophomore at Indiana University, Denigan scored 58 of her team’s 163 points by finishing second in both the 800 freestyle (8:31.12) and 1500 freestyle (16:12.44) timed finals, sixth in the 400 freestyle (4:12.53) and eighth in the 400 individual medley.

Mariah Denigan

Her time in the 1500 freestyle is the third fastest in the nation this year behind Katie Ledecky and Katie Grimes, who represented the U.S. in that event at the 2022 FINA World Championships in June.

Denigan qualified for the world championships in open water swimming. She placed 15th in a field of 58 swimmers in the women’s 10K event and was on a mixed 4×1500 open water relay team that placed seventh.

It’s been a busy spring and summer for Denigan. It all began in April when she  finished second in the women’s 10K event at the U.S. Open Water Championships.

One month later, she placed 10th at the Open Water World Championships in Portugal to earn a spot on the U.S. team going to the FINA World Championships. After that, she competed in the national championships.

Denigan started her competitive swimming career with the Northern Kentucky Clippers. She took all of her high school classes online and is attending Indiana University on a swimming scholarship. During her freshman year, she posted personal best times in several events. At the Big 10 Conference Championships, she finished eighth in the 500 freestyle A-final and eighth in the 400 individual medley.


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