Watch CBS News
By Marielle Mohs
/ CBS Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Gophers swim team will be making a splash at the NCAA championships next week. Three women punched their tickets to the tourney and plan to represent Minnesota proudly.
“This means everything,” said Ava Yablonski, a junior on the Gophers swim team who is making her NCAA debut.
She’ll be competing in the 100 and 200 backstroke.
“I’m just excited to be there and experience everything that I didn’t even know I could accomplish,” said Yablonski.
Yablonski set a new school record in the 100 backstroke during the Big Ten championships this year. To get to this next level, she says the biggest hurdle she overcame was getting out of her own head.
“I think there were some doubts about myself, and I knew that I was better than that,” said Yablonski.
She will have the support of two of her teammates, sophomore Katie McCarthy and senior Eliot Kennedy, who have competed at the NCAA tournament before.
McCarthy swam for two personal records this season. The Edina native is proud to swim for her home state.
“I grew up watching [the Gopher swim team] and coming to their meets, and it was so fun to cheer them on,” said McCarthy. “Being able to put the cap on and represent the ‘M’ has just been so fun.”
McCarthy and Kennedy are both competing in the same events, the 500 freestyle and 1650 freestyle — also known as “the mile.”
“Getting [Eliot] to push me through practices has been really helpful,” said McCarthy.
“[Katie] is such a fun person to race against. I’m so happy to experience my final season with her,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy has already hit a high note as she wraps up her time as a Gopher. She shattered her own personal best, finishing “the mile” event in 15 minutes and 54 seconds.
“When I touched the wall, I couldn’t believe I swam under 16 minutes,” said Kennedy. “It was really exciting to see all the hard work, not just in the past year, but the past 15 years I’ve been swimming, to pay off in that way.”
Washington State University will serve as host of the 2025 NCAA championships. The meet starts Wednesday, March 19.
Marielle Mohs is thrilled to be telling stories in her home state of Minnesota. She grew up in Eden Prairie and South Minneapolis.
© 2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
