Athlete of the Week: Linnea Lindberg

Breaststroker dominated earning individual win while setting meet record

Senior+breaststroke+swimmer+Linnea+Lindberg+swims+in+a+meet+against+Utah+on+Feb.+16+in+Gibb+Pool.+Lindberg+finished+third+in+her+heat+with+a+time+of+1%3A04.31.

ABBY LINNENKOHL | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Senior breaststroke swimmer Linnea Lindberg swims in a meet against Utah on Feb. 16 in Gibb Pool. Lindberg finished third in her heat with a time of 1:04.31.

SHAWN P. O'CONNOR, Evergreen reporter

Linnea Lindberg had a fantastic meet at the CSCAA National Invite meet. Lindberg won the 50-yard breaststroke A final, setting a meet record with a 28.10 second time. She also swam the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relay, clocking in times of 1:42.82 and 3:44.27, respectively. WSU finished 10th in the 200-yard medley relay and 9th in the 400-yard medley relay.

She began her collegiate career with a bang, winning her first college race against the University of California, winning the 50-yard breaststroke at the Ohio State Invitational with a time of 30.19. Lindberg swam a personal best time of 1:03.13 in the 100-yard breaststroke, the fifth-best time in program history. She finished fifth in the “C” final in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Pac-12 Championships.

Lindberg had another fantastic season her junior year. She was a part of five winning 200-yard medley relays, including the best team of the season who turned a time of 1:39.43 at the Pac-12 Championships. She also swam on the second best 400 medley relay team, turning a time of 3:39.81.

She had a storied club career in her home country of Sweden. Linnea swam for the Swim Club Neptune in Stockholm, Sweden. In her freshman season, she set an age group record in the 400 medley relay at the 2012 Swedish Youth Championships and her team finished second in the event. She also set the national record in the 200-yard medley relay at the 2012 Portugal Open. As a senior, she won her first individual medal in the 50-yard breaststroke at the Junior Nationals.

Lindberg, the only senior on the WSU roster, had a fantastic weekend. By winning the 50-yard breaststroke and setting a meet record, Linnea Lindberg is this week’s Evergreen Athlete of the Week.