Kensey McMahon's Alabama Swimming Career Defined by Patience

Long-distance swimmer tries to reclaim conference title in 1,650 freestyle at this week's SEC Championships.

Edwin Stanton | Feb 13, 2023

Kensey McMahon's Alabama Swimming Career Defined by Patience /

You need several traits to be a long-distance swimmer.

Athleticism is an obvious one. Strength is another. Above all else, you need patience with exceptional will power and determination.

Alabama swimmer Kensey McMahon has all those traits; it’s what made her a three-time All-American in the 1,650 freestyle (one mile).

Those traits have also served her well out of the water.

McMahon, a UA graduate student competing in her final SEC Championships this week in College Station, Texas, had her patience tested during the pandemic.

She just won the SEC title in 2020 and was seeded second heading into the NCAA Tournament. Then the world seemed to fall apart when COVID-19 hit. The rest of the season was canceled and McMahon was left to ponder, ‘What if?’

She continued to train in anticipation of the U.S. Olympic Trials and the U.S. Open Water National Championships, but they were also called off.

‘It was overwhelming at times,” McMahon said. “It was three days before we were supposed to leave. The next six months was like a time of desperation. I was trying to find pools, lakes, the ocean. I was fortunate to swim while at home. It was challenging.”

She continued to train on her own, waiting for her moment to come. McMahon persevered, and picked up more All-American honors in 2021, was second in the SEC Championships and took sixth at the NCAA Championships in the 1,650.

At the U.S. Olympic Trials that summer, McMahon competed in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle and 400 individual medley, and finished eighth in the championship final of the 1,500 freestyle.

McMahon continued to excel this past December in the FINA World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, Australia where she took the bronze medal.

“That was my first international pool team for Team USA,” McMahon said. “It showed the work I’m putting in is working out nicely. It was a good taste heading into championship season.”

Her experience in Australia taught her several lessons, ones she plans to use at the SEC Championships and beyond.

“If you have a lane, you have a chance,” McMahon said. “I knew that if I get out and swim my own race and control the race how I wanted to I could give myself a chance to reach the podium. Seeing that happen was an incredible feeling.”

McMahon missed out on the 2020 Olympics but she’s got her sights set on the Paris Games in 2024. It’s one of the reasons she came back for another year at UA.

Another reason is the 1,650 SEC title. She wants another crack at it.

“I would love to have my SEC title back in the 1,650,” she said after finishing second last year. “Overall, we want to see what we can do. We have high expectations but we aren’t putting any pressure on ourselves. Our goal is to support each other as best we can. The results will come because of that.”

2023 SEC Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Championships

When: February 14-18, 2023
Where: Rec Center Natatorium, College Station, Texas
2022 champions: Men, Florida; Women, Tennessee
To Watch: SEC Network+

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