Connor Jaeger

Connor Jaeger was an American swimmer who competed in the 2012 Olympics as a member of Team USA. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey and raised in the small community of Fair Haven, Jaeger took the water quite naturally. His older sister was also a swimmer, and when the two Jaeger children were barely out of diapers, they were already wowing the neighborhood children with their expert swimming abilities at the community pool. What began as a passing hobby for Connor, however, soon turned into an all-out obsession. By the age of 8 he began taking swimming very seriously, and soon started to work with some of the best swim coaches in the state. His athletic prowess was evident quite early, and by his early teens Jaeger had already made New Jersey's prestigious All-Star swim squad. Furthermore, by the time he turned 18, several major universities were recruiting him. He finally decided on attending the University of Michigan, a Big Ten school. As a member of the school's swim team, Jaeger was a standout athlete. In addition to being voted All-American three times, he was also named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year in both 2013 and 2014. During the summer before his junior year of college, Jaeger had the rare honor to swim for his country at the Summer Olympics in London. Although he did not win any medals during the competition (he placed sixth in the 1,500-meter freestyle), the experience taught him a great deal about the pressures of competing at the highest levels of his chosen sport. With that mindset, Jaeger worked harder than ever, and over the next four years as a professional swimmer he won three bronze medals and a gold in various international competitions as a member of Team USA. In the late spring of 2016 Jaeger was training to qualify for a spot on Team USA's team at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, thus hoping to take home a medal for his first time as an Olympian.