Carlisle Shines in the Water
Chris Carlisle shows off his metal where his best event is the 100-meter breaststroke.
Dublin Jerome High School swimmer Chris Carlisle has participated in meets in all
corners of the state. From Bowling Green to Mason, Denison to Miami, and Ohio
University and Ohio State, he’s no stranger to pools in all directions. That’s just how he
likes it.
Chris likes to compete. He enjoys going to meets and trying to constantly beat his times.
As a freshman, he earned a varsity letter and went to the state meets with his Jerome
teammates. Chris also lettered in track his freshman year, but he is most at home in the
water.
Chris's favorite event used to be the 50-meter freestyle. He still swims that event, but
his best event is the 100-meter breaststroke. He prefers shorter distances and sprinting
when it comes to swimming. His competitive streak helped him rack up some
impressive accomplishments for a second-year high school swimmer.
Chris participated on two relay teams that medaled at the district meet and placed 17th
at states his Freshmen year. He placed third in breaststroke at Senior Championships
this summer. By the end of the summer, he was ranked first in his section for 50-meter
breaststroke. Chris was the top 15-year-old in Ohio and ranked 57th in the nation in the
100-meter breaststroke. Those are places typically reserved for kids from Florida and
California (spoiler alert—we don’t live there!).
Chris’s second-year on the Jerome swim team was filled with more accomplishments.
Chris took 1st place at Sectionals in Worthington in the 100-meter breaststroke (his time
was 1:00.74). He went on to take 4th place at the District meet at Ohio University (his
time was 58.66) and finished his year as the top sophomore in Ohio in 100-meter
breaststroke swimming a 57.63. He also enjoyed swimming with his relay teams (both
the 200-yard Medley and the 200 Yard Freestyle). Both relays competed in finals at
states and placed 10th and 16th in the state.
Like many Dublin swimmers, Chris’s journey started with the Muirfins. Having started at
five years old, he has been a Muirfin swimmer for 10 years now. His competitive
swimming career started with the Sea Dragons when he was in seventh grade. Chris
holds Muirfin records for 50-meter breaststroke in both the 13-14 and 15-18 age groups.
Chris draws inspiration from globally recognized swimmers Cody Miller, Michael Phelps,
and Leon Marchand. He cites Michael Waun, his middle school track coach, as an
influential coach at the local level.
As an accomplished swimmer already, Chris hopes to compete for Ohio State at the
collegiate level. Meanwhile, he gives back by serving as a junior coach for the Muirfins,
where he shares his hard-earned wisdom. The decorated pool veteran almost quit when
he first started competitive swimming. Fortunately, he forged ahead. “Don't be
frightened off by the intensity of competitive swimming,” he says. “It gets easier.” He
urges younger swimmers to give it a chance. “Stick with it!” he says. It worked out
swimmingly for him.