How a swimmer's journey took her from Peoria area to Team USA and the world championships
PEORIA — Anna Peplowski was collecting a shirt in the back of the aquatics complex in Indianapolis on Saturday when she received a message.
" 'Anna Peplowski, we want to welcome you to the 2023 World Championships meet in Japan,' " Peplowski said, recalling the announcement. "It was after the last event was finished, and I was walking to the back of the (aquatics venue) to get my shirt."
And with that, the Germantown Hills native and former Metamora swimmer was on the U.S. women's national swim team and headed for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan.
A dream come true for the Journal Star area Swimmer of the Year and Tri-County female Athlete of the Year. And one that would be hard to explain if she could go back and tell her younger self all about the journey.
"I would be so surprised to hear about it," Peplowski said. "When I was younger, I was having fun in many sports, I wasn't focused on one thing. But if I could tell my 8-year-old self about this, I would start crying. Just thinking about the people who have swum with me and helped me along the way."
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One of those who helped was U.S. Olympian Katie Ledecky, who finished second in the 200 individual freestyle Saturday at the 2023 U.S. Swimming Championships. Peplowski — who will be a junior at Indiana University next season — finished seventh in 1:57.59. The top six nationally in an event are eligible for the U.S. national team.
When the national championships ended Saturday, Ledecky abruptly decided to pull out of the 200 individual race for the upcoming worlds. That moved Peplowski up to sixth and opened a spot for her on the U.S. roster.
"I was very confused at first, wasn't aware she could decline it," Peplowski said. "I was like, "What?!"
Beyond excited, coaches and teammates excited.
"I felt super blessed," Peplowski said. "The night I was named on the world team I gave Katie a hug and thanked her for declining her spot in the 200. It moved me up. She said she was very proud of me and the team and excited for what is to come. She's just a terrific person to be around."
The World Championships
The 2023 World Aquatics Championships are July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan. The swimming events will be staged at Marine Messe Fukuoka.
The top four 200 freestyle relay swimmers for the U.S. will compete in the event for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. At No. 6, Peplowski is a second alternate for the 200 relay event and has been assigned to swim the preliminaries, which are set for 8:30 p.m. central time on July 26.
Peplowski swam 1:57.02 in the 200 free at the Indy Spring Cup in May. At the time, her 200 effort was the second-fastest by an American swimmer this season — trailing only Ledecky.
"I've never been overseas," Peplowski said. "We're flying out Sunday to Singapore for a two-week training camp. It's going to be an experience. Singapore is an extremely clean city, they've told us you can't chew gum there or you get arrested.
"After we train, we'll fly from Singapore to Fukuoka on July 23 and compete in the worlds."
A dream season
In high school, Peplowski was all-state in four events at Metamora and the 100 freestyle state champion in Illinois. She earned Journal Star Swimmer of the Year honors in 2020-21, as well as Tri-County Female Athlete of the Year. Then she headed off to Indiana, where she swam her first two college seasons with her older sister, Noelle.
Noelle Peplowski finished her fifth-year senior season last spring, then in early June joined the Indiana swim staff as an assistant coach for the men's and women's swimming and diving teams. She had a stellar career in which she was an 11-time all-American and last spring finished fifth nationally in the 200 breaststroke.
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"It's so great to have her around us," Anna Peplowski said. "And now she'll be one of my coaches."
Anna Peplowski won Big Ten championships this spring in the 200 individual freestyle, the 200 individual backstroke and the 800 free relay. She earned all-American honors in four events.
"My best season," she said. "I'm trying to talk my parents to going to Japan to watch me, but they are kind of in shock.
"Honestly, it hasn't hit me yet, either. But I'm very excited about what is to come."
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria area swimmer makes Team USA for world championships in Japan
