UMBC swimmer Alexander Gliese ’19, mechanical engineering, captured his first national title at the Danish Open by winning the 200m backstroke.
SwimSwam’s coverage of the men’s 200m notes, “The UMBC freshmen has Danish parents that currently live in the U.S., and is giving some hope to a country that has never had much to cheer for in this race. Gliese led all the way, fighting off a good effort from junior swimmer Andreas Elmgreen to claim the victory.”
In addition to his 200m backstroke win, with a time just two seconds off the Danish record, Gliese also placed fourth in the 50m backstroke.
“I could not be more proud of Alexander,” says Head Coach Chad Craddock ’97, psychology. “He is a hard worker and very focused, and all of his hard work paid off this week. The race was close and came down to the last length. Alexander had a strong last 25 to take the win from a hometown favorite.”
“It means a lot to be able to represent UMBC and my team,” Gliese shared after his win. “It is a good milestone to show how much I have progressed as a swimmer over the years.”
Gliese’s standout performance at the Danish Open follows a strong season where both UMBC’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams won conference championships for the second consecutive year and Emily Escobedo ’17, psychology, won bronze in the 200m breaststroke at the NCAA finals.
“We have had a lot of success since our conference championships,” says Cradock, “and we are looking forward to the future.”
Photo: UMBC pool, by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC (header image), and Alexander Gliese with a Danish national medal, by Chad Craddock (second image).
