Maria Arakelian has announced via social media that she plans to swim at Northern Michigan University in the fall of 2019. The fourth sibling in a family of outstanding swimmers, Maria will arrive at NMU just as her older sister Becca Arakelian graduates. The other two siblings, Caroline Arakelian and Nick Arakelian, were both All-Americans at Queens University of Charlotte. Maria wrote on social media:
“Super excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and swimming career at Northern Michigan University !!! Go cats! 💛💚😺”
Arakelian is a senior at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Livonia, Michigan. She swam at the 2016 MHSAA Division I Girls’ Championship as a sophomore, finishing 8th in the 500 free and 22nd in the 200 free. While she didn’t participate as a junior, she’s currently in the middle of her senior year high school season at Livonia Stevenson.
In club swimming Arakelian represents Kingfish Aquatic Club of Waterford. Like her older siblings, she excels in distance freestyle and IM. She will be a welcome addition to the Wildcats, whose women’s team finished third at the 2018 GLIAC Championships last spring. Her best times would have made her runner-up in the 500/1000 freestyles (and NMU’s top performer in both), 3rd in the 1650 free, an A-finalist in the 200 free and 400 IM, and a B finalist in the 200 IM and 200 breast.
Top SCY times:
- 1650 free – 17:20.73
- 1000 free – 10:12.52
- 500 free – 4:58.85
- 200 free – 1:53.28
- 400 IM – 4:34.21
- 200 IM – 2:08.84
- 200 breast – 2:24.22
https://twitter.com/mariaarakelian/status/1044378856432586752
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Congratulations Maria. We will be pulling for you (Unless you’re swimming against us).
Look forward to seeing you at the next level.