2021 Olympic hopeful Michael Chadwick announced Sunday he will be leaving Team Elite and David Marsh in San Diego and will be moving cross country to North Carolina with his wife, Cassi. Chadwick, originally from Charlotte, will be moving to Chapel Hill and will train under one of Marsh’s former pupils in current head coach at the University of North Carolina, Mark Gangloff.
Michael Chadwick had grown up swimming for Swim MAC Carolina and trained under Marsh at Team Elite in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Trials where he didn’t make it out of the heats in the 100 freestyle. He followed Marsh to California after graduating from the University of Missouri and is now returning to his home state.
He wrote on Instagram:
“After being away from North Carolina for a few years, we are excited to announce our move to UNC-Chapel Hill! This move will be closer to home as we transition to train for next summer’s rescheduled Olympic Games. The Lord has taken us on quite the journey these first two years of marriage.
“Looking back at our time in San Diego, we are so thankful for the friendships we made and the opportunity to swim with Team Elite. Thank you @swimcoachmarsh for fostering my love for this sport and inspiring me to reach for heights that I never believed were possible.
“Looking forward, I couldn’t be more excited to represent the University my dad played basketball for, under the stewardship of my longtime mentor and friend @markgangloff”
Michael Chadwick’s best shot at a spot on the Olympic team will likely come in the 100 freestyle. In the 2019 calendar year, he was ranked 48th in the world with a 48.70. He has represented the United States at the last two World Championships, winning gold medals as part of the prelims 4×100 free relay team. At last year’s World Championships, he split a 47.92 on the prelims relay. In the early days of 2020, he was ranked 26th in the world and tenth in the United States with a 49.40 from the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines.
In the 50 freestyle in 2020, Chadwick was ranked 15th in the world and 5th in the US with a 22.12 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in March. He represented the LA Current in the first year of the International Swimming League but will represent the Toronto Titans in year two.