Junior Maren Byrne has no shortage of swimming achievements: CIF State champion, U.S. Junior National finalist and Irish National Championship competitor. And she doesn’t plan to stop.

After a lifetime of swimming, she’ll continue her career across the country at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on its Division I team.

“I loved everything about UNC,” Maren said. “I felt there was more of a balance between athletics and academics there, and they have a lot of resources available for student-athletes which I really value.” 

The pool deck has always been Maren’s second home. Maren said her family played an integral part in supporting her college swimming dream — Maren’s mom swam in college and encouraged her to start at just age 5.

Maren first joined Los Altos-Mountain View Aquatics Club (LAMVAC), where she transitioned from recreational to competitive swimming three years later.

“My coaches at LAMVAC said, ‘You should race for the first time,’ and I really loved it,,” Maren said. 

Maren’s competitive spirit and dedication led her to start swimming full-time. In middle school, she switched to the highly competitive Alto Swim Club, where she developed her college swimming dream.

“I really loved swimming, so I thought, ‘Why not go DI and see how far I can take this?’” Maren said. “It has always been a goal of mine.”

But the journey to that dream has been a battle. One of Maren’s biggest obstacles was a simultaneous sickness and ankle injury in eighth grade, keeping her out of the water.

“I remember hating swimming, hating practice and I even almost quit,” Maren said. 

But even that couldn’t kill her dream. 

“Towards the end of the season, I ended up qualifying for Junior Nationals,” Maren said. “I was just so proud of myself for overcoming that.”

Moving into high school, Maren instantly excelled on Los Altos High School’s varsity swim team. As a freshman, Maren was the team’s fastest and most versatile swimmer, winning nearly every event she swam — including the 2024 CIF State Championships. In a flat 2:00.00, Maren topped the state in the 200-yard individual medley.

Last summer, Maren also competed in the Irish National Championship — she hopes to eventually utilize her Irish dual citizenship to swim for Ireland’s national team. 

All this led to Maren’s commitment to UNC this fall — with DI offers from top athletic programs across the country, Maren ultimately chose UNC for its academic and athletic balance, as she plans to pursue pre-med through a biology major. 

According to her close friend and teammate Hailey Preuss, who has trained alongside Maren for four years, Maren’s determination and ability to uplift others are her most respected qualities. 

“She sees people — especially people she knows well — so she can see when I’m stressed or nervous or when I have a swim and I’m disappointed about it,” Hailey said. “She can talk me out of my head and make me feel better.” 

Maren’s ability to see people and empathy for others is evident in and outside of the pool.

“Whenever she is practicing, she is always trying her best,” teammate senior Ari Yurchenko said. “She always encourages others to try their best, too.

Reflecting on her journey, Maren’s biggest advice to younger athletes is not to be so hard on themselves. 

“I’ve really focused the past few years on finding one good thing from a race,”  Maren said.  “That has really helped me to have a more positive attitude.”Junior Maren Byrne shows off her new University of North Carolina merch after committing to the school’s Division I swim program. Throughout her high school swimming career, Maren has swam at Junior Nationals and been a state champion.