Anika Apostalon (born February 2, 1995) is a Czech-American competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle and backstroke events. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and graduated from

Albuquerque Academy Albuquerque Academy is an independent, co-educational day school for grades 6-12 located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest

in 2013. Apostalon graduated from the University of Southern California in 2017 with a 3.92 grade point average. She currently swims for the Toronto Titans and is affiliated with USK in Prague, CZ. She is the Czech national record holder in the 50m Freestyle (SCM) and a 17-time NCAA All American.

Career

Collegiate career

Apostalon began her collegiate career at San Diego State University, where she was a Division I dual-sport athlete in water polo and swimming. In 2014 she was named the Mountain West Swimmer of the Year and the conference's Freshman of the year. She also set the Mountain West records for 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, and 100-yard backstroke while at SDSU. In 2015, Apostalon transferred to the University of Southern California to focus on her swimming career. In 2016 she led the Trojans to a Pac-12 Championship. She was a member of the 2016 400 yard freestyle NCAA national championship relay. Apostalon finished her college career as a 17-time NCAA All-American and eight-time individual scorer at the NCAA national championships. However, her successes have not been limited to swimming. As a senior, Apostalon made the CoSIDA Academic All-American Division I At-Large Team and was named the Pac-12 Women's Swimming Scholar Athlete of the Year. She was also named the Trojans' female recipient of the 2016-17 Tom Hansen Medal.

Czech Republic

In July, 2018, Apostalon qualified for the Czech Republic national team and set a national record in the 100-meter freestyle. She went on to represent the Czech Republic in the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. She finished 12th in the 50m Freestyle and 11th in the 100m Freestyle. At the 2019 World Championships, Apostalon anchored the Czech 4x100 Freestyle Relay with a team-best split of 54.26 to place 11th and help the team qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Apostalon currently holds the Czech national record in the 50m Freestyle (SCM), the 4x100 Freestyle Relay (LCM), 4x50 Freestyle Relay (SCM), and 4x50 Medley Relay (SCM).

International Swimming League

In fall of 2019 Apostalon signed for DC Trident in the ISL's inaugural season. In spring 2020, Apostalon signed for the newly formed Toronto Titans, the first Canadian based ISL team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apostalon, Anika American female swimmers 1995 births Living people San Diego State Aztecs athletes USC Trojans women's swimmers American people of Czech descent Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics