Saints swimmer Mike Aldaco earned a spot on the Slovenian national swim team with strong performances in his backstroke races during pre-meet trials.
Saints swimmer Mike Aldaco earned a spot on the Slovenian national swim team with strong performances in his backstroke races during pre-meet trials.
Mike Aldaco, a first-year student and Saints swim team member, is making waves as a competitive swimmer, a journey he hopes will take him all the way to the Olympics. To help make that dream a reality, he traveled to Slovenia this past summer—a familiar destination.
Aldaco was born in Slovenia and his mom is Slovenian. He moved to the United States when he was young, and his family settled near Kansas City, Missouri. “I contacted the Slovenian Swimming Federation to let them know my interest and they flew me out there,” says Aldaco,
an international business major.
He began the process of earning a spot on the swim team last spring, when he participated in pre-meet trials. During his high school spring break, he traveled back to Slovenia for the trials. Making it to the next stage required at least a top-four finish in an event. He landed in the top four in the 200-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle.
With those finishes, he was able to swim for the national team at Telekom 2018, an international swim competition held in Slovenia last July. During his first meet, Aldaco finished fourth in the 200-back stroke—and his 400-meter medley squad won gold. “It felt really good to know that my hard work over the last few years paid off,” he says. “I really was able to achieve what I had set out to do.”
Attending meets in Slovenia while churning out personal best times should enhance his efforts on the Maryville team, he says. “It prepares me well here at Maryville,” says Aldaco. “It gives me experience, and I know I can compete with the best in the country.”
Maryville swim coach Erica Rose agrees the experience will benefit his collegiate career, and his efforts will also boost the Saints team’s chances for a winning season. “He was able to see how meets are run and learn how to handle the stress of racing,” says Rose. “All of those external factors will help him mature as a swimmer.”
Aldaco’s pursuit of making the Olympic team will continue next summer when the Slovenian Swimming Federation contacts swimmers to attend international meets.