Kristen Romano: Celebrating the Extraordinary Journey of CAC’s Female Swimmer of the Year

Check out all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.

2024 CENTRAL AMERICAN/CARIBBEAN FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: KRISTEN ROMANO, PUERTO RICO

Kristen Romano secures her second consecutive victory in this category. Since graduating from Ohio State in 2022, Romano has been training with the professional squad at Tennessee, showcasing a remarkably steady season while competing at all three major international events for Puerto Rico.

Her year commenced at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, where she participated in three individual events: the 200 IM, 200 back, and 400 IM. She reached the semi-finals in the 200 IM, finishing 12th with a time of 2:13.33.

In the 400 IM, she placed 11th with a time of 4:45.78 and came in 20th in the 200 backstroke at 2:14.46. She holds the national record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:45.47 set in June 2023.

In May, she took part in the Atlanta Classic meet, concluding the event with a victory and a season-best time of 2:13.09 in the 200 IM. Additionally, she competed in the 100 fly, securing 5th place with a time of 59.63, which was a new national record.

Romano participated in the 200 IM at the 2024 Paris Olympics as one of two representatives on Puerto Rico’s team. This marked Romano’s inaugural Olympics, where she finished 21st in the preliminaries, clocking in at 2:13.32.

At the Puerto Rico International Swimming Open in October, Romano swam and triumphed in seven events. Notably, she established a new national record in the SCM 100 backstroke with a time of 59.62.

Lastly, Romano took part in five events at the 2024 SC World Championships, including the 200 backstroke, 100 fly, 100 IM, 200 IM, and 400 IM. Her top placement was 10th in the 400 IM, achieving a time of 4:33.56. She finished 13th in the 200 IM, traditionally a semi-final race, with a new national record time of 2:08.92. In the 200 back, she placed 23rd with a time of 2:07.60, 23rd in the 100 IM at 1:00.76, and 24th in the 100 fly at 58.93.

Honorable Mention:

• Maria Mata Cocco, Mexico: Mata Cocco participated in both World Championships this year. At the 2024 World Championships in Doha, she advanced to the semi-finals and finished 11th in the women’s 200 butterfly, achieving a time of 2:11.17. She also swam the 100 fly, concluding 24th in 1:00.39, and raced the fly leg on Mexico’s 400 medley relay, splitting 1:00.53. At the 2024 CCAN Championships, she won both the 100 fly (1:00.15) and 200 fly (2:11.64). Her final competition of the year was the 2024 SC World Championships in Budapest, where she swam the 100 and 200 fly. Her 100 fly time was 25th at 58.96 (just behind Romano), and she ranked 16th in the 200 fly with a time of 2:09.32.

• 2023 — Kristen Romano, Puerto Rico
• 2022 — Maria Mata Cocco, Mexico
• 2021 — Joanna Evans, Bahamas
• 2020 — Alia Atkinson, Jamaica
• 2019 –Alia Atkinson, Jamaica
• 2018 – Alia Atkinson, Jamaica
• 2017 – Lili Ibanez, Mexico
• 2016 – Alia Atkinson, Jamaica
• 2015 – Alia Atkinson, Jamaica
• 2014 – Alia Atkinson, Jamaica