Women’s Senior Athlete of the Year: Anna Kalandadze

Although she didn’t start out with the Red and Blue, senior distance freestyler Anna Kalandadze has made her mark in the Quaker history books. 

After transferring from the University of California at Berkeley, the Ardmore, Pa. native made a splash immediately. At the end of her first two seasons with the Quakers, Kalandadze claimed two individual Ivy League titles, multiple school records, and a 10th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Division I championships. Last year, she was The Daily Pennsylvanian’s Women’s Athlete of the Year.

This year, she continued that record-breaking momentum. At the Ivies, Kalandadze headlined another dominant individual and team performance by the Quaker distance group. Kalandadze defended her championship titles in the 500-yard and 1650-yard freestyle events. In the latter event, Kalandadze finished in a Katie Ledecky-like fashion — touching the wall over 18 seconds before second-place finisher, teammate, and sophomore individual medley specialist Anna Moehn.

At her final championship meet representing the Quakers, Kalandadze ended her career on a high note. In the 1650, Kalandadze finished in fourth, notably ahead of Olympians and previous NCAA champions. The swim was a perfect culmination of Kalandadze’s consistent hard work and perseverance over her collegiate swimming career. Before her sophomore year, she almost quit swimming due to her negative experience with her Cal coach. 

“Anna Kalandadze is a mad dog every day. She works hard, loves to swim, and has no fear,” coach Mike Schnur told the DP in February. “She knows she's one of the best in the country and has the work ethic to back that up, which helps her succeed.” 

Although Kalandadze’s collegiate swimming career is coming to an end, she truly made the most out of her time with the Red and Blue and will be remembered for her incredible performances and work ethic.