Mark Warkentin

Olympic swimmer

What is Mark Warkentin known for?

Mark Warkentin, born November 14, 1979 in Santa Barbara, California, is a notable alumni from San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara. He is an accomplished American open water swimmer and swimming coach who has left quite an impressive track in the world of sports.

After graduating from San Marcos High School in 1998, he attended the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a degree in Communication in 2003. During his time at USC, he was a four-time All-American and was also awarded USC's Willis Award as a freshman.

His accomplishments in sports are nothing short of remarkable. He qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing following his performance at the 2008 Open Water World Championships. He stood out as one of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch" as noted by Time magazine. In addition, Warkentin was a two-time national champion in the open water 25-kilometer, the longest sanctioned race in the sport. However, in the Olympics, he competed in the 10-kilometer open water event, finishing in eighth place with a time of 1:52:13.0.

After his competitive career, Mark returned to his roots as the head coach of the Santa Barbara Swim Club on December 1, 2012, leading his childhood team and nurturing the generations to follow.

In the realm of external resources, you may find more about Warkentin's career on his athlete's page at USA Swimming and Olympics.com. His accomplishments in water sports are also featured in major aquatic databases like World Aquatics and Olympedia.