Anna Peplowski is all smiles in life.
The Indiana senior is warm and upbeat and it is something everyone feels her radiate.
But when she gets into the water, she is able to flip the switch to a world-class competitor.
It is something she learned from her role model, Missy Franklin. Fittingly it will be Franklin’s record she is chasing at the NCAA Championships.
“I want to do better than I did last year and break that 1:40 barrier in the 200 free,” Anna Peplowski told Swimming World. “That is a goal that has been in the back of my head for years. Missy Franklin really inspired me. She has the record, and she is just such a role model for me. To think I am even somewhere close to that time is crazy to me. I feel like ending college on that note would be awesome.
“One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Happy swimmers are fast swimmers.’ I never tried to take anything too seriously. I was always around fun people. Coach always reminds me I swim my best when I am having fun. It can take over your mind and I try to put myself in those high-pressure situations ahead of time.”
Peplowski went a 1:40.09 last year, starting a breakout 2024 that eventually saw her swimming in the Olympics.
She finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in the 200 free to qualify for Paris as a relay swimmer.
“I still think about it every single day, how awesome it is to be an Olympian. All the work that was put in last year. There was a lot more stress last year being an Olympic year and not knowing what was to come,” Anna Peplowski said. “I remember everything. Everything from that week at the trials will be engrained in my forever. There were so many emotions and perspectives that I had for myself before and after the races. My teammates pulled me out of the water in the warm-down pool after I made the team. They hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. It was really emotional.
“This year, I have really been able to grasp how much work was put in last year and how I am capable of doing the same things this year if I put my head down and enjoy the process.”
That process obviously worked last year, leading Peplowski to Paris.
“Paris was awesome. My roommate Alex Shackell and I talked about it every night. We never wanted to leave. We wanted to remember everything. My race was in the middle of the week, so I had a few days to see how things operated. But I was pretty nervous to be on the world’s biggest stage and I was leading off that relay. I didn’t swim as fast as I wanted, but I know that I gave it my all,” she said.
ATHENS, GA – March 22nd, 2024 – Anna Peplowski during the 2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Georgia. Photo By Trent Barnhart/Indiana Athletics
And it validated Peplowski’s place as one of the world’s best.
“It proved that I just need to keep trusting myself and the people who have faith in me. I remember coming into Indiana as a freshman and Ray Looze asked me if I wanted to make the Olympic team. He planted that seed in my head, and it never went away,” she said.
Peplowski will swim the 200 free and 500 free at NCAAs for the last time. She wants to leave her mark as a senior after breaking the Big Ten record in both events in February.
“It has been a really fun season, and we have a great team this year. It is a lot of fun training alongside of some of the best athletes in the world. Getting the work done next to your best friends is something you can’t take for granted. It has been really awesome,” Anna Peplowski said. “I am excited to be alongside my teammates for NCAAs. We have been here for four years and have been through so much as a team. I am really excited to see what all the girls can do.”
Peplowski has already decided to turn pro after NCAAs and she plans to swim competitively through 2028.
“I will be going pro here at Indiana after NCAAs,” she said. “I will take a few days off, but the grind never stops.”
