Up & Comers: Mia Rankin
Sponsored by Spectrum Aquatics
At 14, Mia Rankin of the Phoenix Swim Club, Ariz., knows all about mental toughness. She hails from a talented family of swimmers with both of her parents (Mark and Maureen) and uncle (Matt Rankin) spending many years coaching swimming and having successful swimming careers themselves.
Each year, Rankin continues to improve. When she was 12, she achieved sectional standards in six events. She built upon that by adding a junior national standard cut in the 200 meter breast at the age of 13, while also finishing 10th in the 1650 yard free at the 2017 junior nationals. She has won high-point awards in both the 12- and 13-year-old age groups, and holds a club record in the 200 yard IM (2:05.39) for 13-14 girls.
Last year was a heart-wrenching one for Rankin and her family, as cancer claimed the life of Mia’s mom, Maureen (“Mo”), in September. In spite of her tragic loss, Mia threw herself into swimming, finding refuge in the sport that her mom loved so dearly. As a freshman at Xavier College Prep, she contributed to her school’s state title, placing second in the 500 yard free (4:55.93) and third in the 200 IM (2:04.68).
Rankin’s dad, Mark, who took over the coaching responsibilities at Xavier following the tragic passing of his wife, told Swimming World that “Mia has an unbelievable mental toughness, considering we had a tough 2017 as a family” and that “she almost always has a smile on her face.”
Phoenix Swim Club coach Mike Maczuga echoed Mark’s comments: “Mia has had to deal with some pretty hard life issues this past year outside the pool. Despite this, she has maintained her ability to be a mentally strong leader in the pool with her friends and teammates.”
Outside of the pool, Rankin enjoys “eating as much as I can” and playing water polo—a fitting activity, considering her aunt—Peggy Haslach, Mo’s older sister who swam at Stanford—was an assistant water polo coach in 1981 and made the U.S. national water polo “B” team in 1984.
To learn more about Rankin, check out the February 2018 issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!
[ PHOTO BY GIORGIO PEROTTINO/DEEPBLUEMEDIA/INSIDEFOTO ]
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Kimberly Griles Harter
I saw this! Great article on Mia.. I will share with Abby. ?
Mia, you are a rockstar! ????♀️
Nice work!
Diann Weaverling
good luck