Washington State University Athletics

A native of Rutherglen, Australia, Erin McCleave is as one of the most decorated Cougars in Washington State swimming history. A freestyle specialist, McCleave dominated every distance from the 100 to 1650 freestyle, finishing her career with school records in the 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle events, in addition to a pair of records in the 400 medley and 800 freestyle relays. As a junior, McCleave qualified for the 2006 NCAA Championships in the 200, 500, and 1650 freestyle events, setting a school record with an 11th place finish in the 1650 free. McCleave returned to the national championships as a senior, where she finished 10th in the 1650 freestyle, breaking her own school record. McCleave became the first swimmer in Cougar history to earn Honorable Mention All-American honors and was the first WSU swimmer to be named national collegiate swimmer of the week and Pacific-10 Conference Swimmer of the Month. A three-time All-American, McCleave was nominated as NCAA Woman of the Year in 2007. After graduating, McCleave went on to represent Australia at the 2007 World University Games where she placed ninth in the 1500 freestyle. In 2008, McCleave took gold in the 1500 freestyle at the Australian National Swimming Championships.