After a compliance review Karol Ostrowski, a Polish Olympian, is “immediately eligible” to compete for the University of Hawaii, per head coach Mike Stephens.
Ostrowski joined the Rainbow Warriors this fall, adding to the strong international contingent on the roster. He was not expected to be eligible until fall 2024. Ostrowski swam at the Hawaii Senior Champs in November and won the 50 free (19.44), 100 free (42.52), and 200 free (1:35.32).
The 24-year-old sprint freestyle specialist is a five-time DII Champion from his time at Drury University. At the 2021 DII NCAA Championships, Ostrowski won the 50/100/200 freestyle (19.12/41.25/1:33.29). Leading off Drury’s 200 freestyle relay he fired off an 18.92, becoming the first swimmer outside of Division I to break 19-seconds in the 50 freestyle.
A year later, he won the 100/200 free and added 2nd-place finishes in the 50 free and 50 back. He didn’t compete in the NCAA during the 2022-23 season.
Best SCY Times:
- 50 freestyle – 18.92 (2021)
- 100 freestyle – 41.25 (2021)
- 200 freestyle – 1:33.29 (2021)
- 50 backstroke – 22.03 (2022)
- 100 backstroke – 45.90 (2022)
Now 24 years old, Ostrowski is a major addition to the Rainbow Warriors. In addition to the value he adds to the relays, his best times would have won titles in the 50/100/200 free and 100 back at the 2023 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships. The Hawaii men finished 3rd at the MPSF Championships last season with 569.5 points, behind UC-Santa Barbara (696) and BYU (830). With BYU shifting to the Big-12, the Hawaii men have a real opportunity to make a run at the MPSF title.
His best 50 free time would have put him in the B-final of the 50 free at last season’s NCAA Division I Championships, just .05 seconds shy of the A-final. He would have been the lone 2023 NCAA qualifier for Hawaii. Last season Hawaii broke through onto the women’s NCAA stage, qualifying their first relay for NCAAs since 2005.
Swimswam is still working to confirm how much eligibility Ostrowski has remaining. Per Stephens, Ostrowski will begin racing immediately for the Rainbow Warriors, beginning at their January 5th dual meet against Ohio State.