A Pair Of U.S. Titles Are The Latest Milestones For Rising Teen Swimmer Aiden Stivers

Share:

by Karen Price

Aiden Stivers competes at the 2024 U.S. Paralympics Swimming Team Trials. (Photo by Mark Reis/USOPC)

Aiden Stivers laughs when asked about his favorite food to eat before a swim meet.

The answer is Chipotle, but the reason he laughs is because it was the one nugget that broadcasters pulled from his information sheet during the livestream at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials this past summer in Minneapolis. His family and friends got a good kick out of hearing the announcers mention his love of the burrito franchise.

Could an endorsement deal be in Stivers’ future?

“Hopefully,” said the high school junior, smiling. 

The Indiana native is also hopeful about his future in Para swimming, and with good reason. Since getting involved with the Para side of the sport a few short years ago, Stivers has set an American record, recently won a pair of national titles and now has his sights set on Los Angeles in 2028.

“If I ever had the chance (to compete in the Paralympics) that would be a big thing for me, and something I really aspire to do,” he said.

Stivers started swimming when he was 8 years old after watching his older sister Kaleigh, now a swimmer at the University of Toledo, compete with their local club team. He has a vivid memory of winning his very first heat.

“It was a heat of three people, but I remember being really proud of myself,” he said. “I think that’s also a moment where I started to like swimming more, was winning my first heat at a swim meet.”

Stivers was born with amniotic band syndrome, a rare condition in which strands of tissue can wrap around a developing fetus in utero, and it affects his left hand. The condition didn’t impact Stivers’ ability to swim alongside able-bodied teammates, and that’s what he was doing when two-time U.S. Paralympian Dalton Herendeen spied him at a local swim meet. Herendeen suggested to his coach that Stivers might consider getting involved with Para swimming. After researching the sport and learning about the opportunities it offered, Stivers made his Para debut at the Bill Keating Jr. Memorial Open in Cincinnati in 2022.

“I thought it was a lot different than I expected a meet to be, but everyone was super nice and it was a really welcoming environment,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to compete at high school meets and club meets and also be able to do Para swimming because Para swimming is where I’m able to be fast and compete with people who are the same speed as me. Club and high school swimming are, not necessarily social, but I have fun doing that type of stuff more. It’s a balance.”

One year later at the same meet, Stivers experienced what he called one of the coolest things he’s done in swimming so far when he set the American record in the 200-meter breaststroke SB9, his best event.

“I had no clue (what the record was),” he said. “I was just swimming it because it’s my best event. Then a coach came up to me and my parents and told me about it, and we filled out all the forms. It was a really cool feeling because I never had a record before, something that I could say I’m the best American in.”

Stivers lowered that record this past year at the Para Swimming World Series stop in Indianapolis when he dropped his time from 2:46.42 to 2:41.59.

“It’s kind of fun to say I’m an American record holder,” he said.

Stivers also competed at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials over the summer, and most recently won gold in both the 200- and 100-meter breaststroke at the national championships in December.

He’s now hard at work toward his two main goals in the sport. 

The first is to pursue swimming at the collegiate level. Stivers is currently a junior at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana, and is one of nearly 100 members of the swim team there. His current practice schedule has him at morning and afternoon practices four days a week and weights and conditioning three days a week. When he’s not swimming, he enjoys baking cookies for his friends and creative writing.

He’s looked at a few schools already, including the University of Minnesota when he was there for the Paralympic trials last summer.

“Right now it’s one of my top choices,” said Stivers, who is considering either pursuing government and law or forensic psychology. “I’d really love to go there and am trying to reach out to the coach right now.”

The other goal, of course, is to compete in Los Angeles at the 2028 Paralympics.

“I think about just seeing all the athletes from all the different countries, and think about how I’m going to be able to compete for my country,” he said. “And just being able to swim in a super nice Olympic pool, and maybe even win a medal in Los Angeles.”

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.

Read More#