Sierra Schmidt
{{Short description|American swimmer (born 1998)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Sierra Schmidt
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| full_name =
| nicknames =
| nationality = {{USA}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1998|5|6}}
| birth_place = Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{cvt|1.67|m|order=flip}}
| weight = {{cvt|63|kg|order=flip}}
| strokes = Freestyle
| club = Germantown Academy
North Baltimore Aquatic Club
| collegeteam = University of Michigan
| coach = Dick Shoulberg
(Germantown Academy)
Mike Bottom
(University of Michigan)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Women's swimming}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}}
{{MedalGold | 2015 Toronto | 800 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition | Swimming World Cup}}
{{MedalSilver | 2016 Hong Kong | 400 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | 2016 Hong Kong | 800 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition | World Junior Championships}}
{{MedalGold | 2015 Singapore | 800 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 2015 Singapore | 400 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | 2015 Singapore | 1500 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition|World University Games}}
{{MedalBronze| 2017 Taipei | 400 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze|2019 Naples|400 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition|Junior Pan Pacific Championships}}
{{MedalGold | 2014 Maui | 800 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 2014 Maui | 1500 m freestyle}}
}}
Sierra Schmidt (born May 6, 1998) is a retired American competition swimmer who swam for the University of Michigan and was a distance freestyle medalist in the 2015 Pan American Games and 2016 World Cup.
Early life and swimming
Schmidt was born to Melinda and Joseph Schmidt in Scottsdale, Arizona.
In Junior High, around 2012–2014, Sierra swam for Hall of Fame Coach Dick Shoulberg while attending Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and competed in a number of events including the 1650 free.Fawcett, Joby, "Nonenberg Places Third", The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pennsylvania, 27 March 2012, pg. B3{{cite web|url=https://swimmingcoach.org/page/HOFDickshoulberg|title=American Swimming Coaches Hall of Fame, Dick Shoulberg, Biography|access-date=2023-03-24}} On February 22–23, 2014, taking a first-place finish with a time of 4:46.29 in the 500 freestyle, she helped lead Germantown Academy to a first-place finish at the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships at LaSalle University."GA Girls Win Eastern Swimming championships", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 23 February 2014, pg. E13 In 2014, she was named a Catholic League All-Star."Girls Swimming and Diving", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 5 March 2014, pg. D09
Schmidt graduated from the 21st Century Cyber Charter School in Exton, Pennsylvania in 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-swimming/athletes/Sierra-Schmidt |title=Sierra Schmidt |website=teamusa.org |access-date=2021-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023513/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-swimming/athletes/Sierra-Schmidt |archive-date=2021-07-26 |url-status=dead}} She was a multiple time junior national champion in 2014 and competed for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club from 2014 to 2016.{{cite web|url=http://swimswam.com/interview-triple-junior-national-champion-sierra-schmidt-discusses-junior-training-nbac/ |title=INTERVIEW: Triple Junior National Champion Sierra Schmidt Discusses Juniors, Training At NBAC |publisher=Swimswam.com |date=August 4, 2014 |accessdate=May 1, 2016}}
Career
Schmidt won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in the 800 metre freestyle. This performance set a Pan American Games record.{{cite web|author=Brian Murtaugh |url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/dancing-queen-sierra-schmidt-blasts-800-free-pan-american-games-record/ |title=Dancing Queen Sierra Schmidt Blasts 800 Free Pan American Games Record |publisher=Swimmingworldmagazine.com |date=July 19, 2015 |accessdate=May 1, 2016}}
She competed for the University of Michigan and Club Wolverine under Head Coach Mike Bottom from 2017 to 2021 and graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2021, earning a BA in film, Television, and Media, with honors. She was a six-time CSCAA All-American, Big Ten champion in the 800 free relay, as well as a two-time Big-Ten Distinguished Scholar and four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American during her time in Ann Arbor.
Schmidt announced that she signed a sponsorship deal with TYR Sport on June 3, 2021.{{Cite web |last=Schultz |first=Sierra |date=2021-06-03 |title=Tweet by Sierra Schultz (@Sierra_Swims) |url=https://twitter.com/Sierra_Swims/status/1400530039800680448?t=fRTuUMYWiMY5mUYIezd45A&s=19 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Twitter}}
Schmidt is known as the “Dancing Queen” for her ritual of dancing behind the starting blocks prior to her races.{{Citation |title=Sierra Schmidt: The "Dancing Queen" of Women's Swimming |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WCDR4SGc8 |access-date=2023-07-03 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Sophie |date=2022-05-18 |title=Sierra Schmidt Joins New NBC Dance Show |url=https://swimswam.com/sierra-schmidt-joins-new-nbc-dance-show/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}}
Schmidt qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, where she finished 10th in the 400 meter freestyle and 8th in the 800 meter freestyle.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/swimming/story/_/id/14583045/why-miss-sierra-schmidt-pre-meet-dance |title=Why you can't miss Sierra Schmidt's pre-meet dance |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=January 16, 2016 |access-date=May 1, 2016}} At the postponed 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, June 13–20, 2021, Sierra finished 6th in the 400 meter freestyle, 8th in the 800 meter freestyle, and 7th in the 1500 meter freestyle, one of only three swimmers to qualify for all three distance finals in the arduous Olympic prelim/final schedule. Her best time in the 1500 free from a month prior, 16:06.85, was ranked 19th in the world at that time.
Schmidt announced her retirement on June 29, 2023, following her participation at the 2023 U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis. Schmidt's last event in the competition was the 400 meter freestyle, which took place on June 30, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Dornan |first=Ben |date=2023-06-29 |title=Sierra Schmidt Announces Plans To Retire, 400 Free At Nationals To Be Her "Last Dance" |url=https://swimswam.com/sierra-schmidt-announces-plans-to-retire-400-free-at-nationals-to-be-her-last-dance/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=SwimSwam |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2023-06-29 |title=Sierra Schmidt, Swimming's 'Dancing Queen' Leaves Legacy of Smiles, Inspiration |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/sierra-schmidt-swimmings-dancing-queen-leaves-legacy-of-smiles-inspiration/ |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Swimming World News |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{World Aquatics}}
- {{USA Swimming|new_id=sierra-schmidt|archive=20210923061950}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 800 m Freestyle Women}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Sierra}}
Category:Sportspeople from Scottsdale, Arizona
Category:American female freestyle swimmers
Category:Swimmers at the 2015 Pan American Games
Category:Summer World University Games medalists in swimming
Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for the United States
Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States
Category:Medalists at the 2017 Summer Universiade
Category:Medalists at the 2019 Summer Universiade
Category:Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games
Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming