Connor Lee Jaeger (born April 30, 1991) is a former American competition swimmer who specializes in distance freestyle events. Jaeger attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

where he was a three-time All-American. He was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, placing sixth in the 1500 metre freestyle at those Olympics, as well as the 2016 United States Olympic team, where he earned a silver medal in the same event. He currently holds the American record in the short course 1500 metre freestyle.

Early life

Jaeger was born in

Fair Haven, New Jersey Fair Haven is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Fair Haven is located on the Rumson peninsula along the Navesink River and is bordered by Red Bank and Little Silver to t ...

on April 30, 1991. He grew up swimming his older sister, Dana. He began swimming competitively at 8 years old with the Central Jersey Aquatic Club (CJAC). He made the New Jersey All-Star squad and the Junior Olympics before turning 13. As a teen, Jaeger worked as a lifeguard while continuing to train with CJAC. In high school, he was named All-State in the 200 yard freestyle and set five conference swimming records. He graduated from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, in 2010 and attended the

, where he graduated with a degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

, in 2014.

Swimming career

Jaeger attended

, where he was a member of the

Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving The Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program has both a men's and women's team. The University of Michigan swimming program is one of the most highly respected college swimming programs in the country. The men's and women's teams, which ha ...

team. In 2011, he was part of the NCAA title winning 4×200-yard freestyle relay team and was named to the All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

first team. In 2012, he became an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in three disciplines (500-yard freestyle, 800-yard freestyle relay, 1,650-yard freestyle) and was the Big Ten champion in the latter two. At the 2012 NCAA championships, he finished third in the 1,650-yard freestyle. He also won an award for academic achievement for the 2011–12 school year. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Jaeger made his first Olympic team by finishing second behind Andrew Gemmell in the 1,500-meter freestyle with a time of 14:52.51. With a margin of just thirty-two (0.32) one-hundredths of a second between Gemell and Jaeger, it was one of the closest 1,500-meter finishes in Trials history. Jaeger's swim was also the fifth fastest time in the world during 2012 heading into the Olympics. For Jaeger, it was only the fifth time he ever swam the 1,500 in competition. In the preliminary round of the event, he went under fifteen minutes for the first time in his career, despite miscounting his laps and swimming an extra 100 meters. He also competed in the 400-meter freestyle, and finished sixth in the final with a time of 3:49.55. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Jaeger swam in the preliminary round of the 1,500-meter freestyle on August 3, qualifying seventh for the final on August 4. In the final, he placed sixth with a time of 14:52.99. At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, Jaeger qualified to swim in three individual events: the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle. In his first event, the 400-meter freestyle, he placed third in the final with a personal best time of 3:44.85, finishing behind Sun Yang and

Kosuke Hagino is a Japanese former competitive swimmer who specialized in the individual medley and 200 m freestyle. He is a four-time Olympic medalist, most notably winning gold in the 400 m individual medley at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Hagino holds the ...

. In his second event, Jaeger placed 4th in the 800-meter freestyle in a personal best time of 7:44.26, finishing behind Sun Yang, teammate Michael McBroom, and Ryan Cochrane. In his third and last event, the 1500-meter freestyle, Jaeger placed 4th in the final with a personal best time of 14:47.96. Jaeger qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle. He retired from competitive swimming following the Olympics.

Personal bests (long course)

Short course yards

Personal life

Jaeger became engaged to his girlfriend, Courtney Beidler, on June 18, 2017. They married on October 27, 2018.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaeger, Connor 1991 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers Michigan Wolverines men's swimmers People from Fair Haven, New Jersey Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School alumni Sportspeople from Hackensack, New Jersey Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Swimmers from New Jersey World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics