After Starring for Princeton, Swimmer Mitchell Schott ’26 Chases an Olympic Spot

Mitchell Schott ’26 arrived at Princeton looking for something more than a powerhouse swimming program. After being recruited by top schools across the country, including the University of California, Berkeley, he ultimately settled on Princeton because of the people.

“I very much got the energy and the vibe from the guys that everybody on the team was just driven,” he said. “If they weren’t the most elite guy in the water, they were super elite in the classroom or in some other facet.”

Now, after establishing himself as one of the top swimmers in Ivy League history, Schott is headed to the University of Texas at Austin to train under coach Bob Bowman following graduation. Bowman, best known for coaching 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, is widely regarded as one of the most influential swimming coaches in history. Schott made his goal clear: qualify for the 2028 Olympics. Princeton hasn’t had a swimmer compete for the U.S. team since Nelson Diebel ’96 won two gold medals in 1992.

Schott’s journey began at Culver Academies, the military boarding school in Indiana that he said gave him the necessary discipline for the “pressure cooker” that is Princeton. During the recruiting process, he searched for a place that was “Culver on steroids,” and focused on balancing academics, athletics, leadership, and community.

“By coming here, you’re accepting the challenge that is Princeton,” he said.

Over the past four years, Schott embraced that challenge fully. He became one of the most decorated swimmers in the program’s history: a 10-time Ivy League champion, a three-time Ivy League runner-up, and an NCAA Championships qualifier in six different events. He broke the Ivy League record in the 200-yard butterfly and finished seventh in the NCAA meet while also emerging as one of the top freestyle swimmers in the country.

But when he reflects on Princeton, his focus is less on records and more on his personal growth.

“My framework for approaching any problem now is much more methodological,” he said, explaining that Princeton has changed the way he does everything from finding post-grad housing to marketing himself in his professional life.

To him, growth also involves embracing “the Princeton identity” beyond athletics and becoming an active member of campus life. He said the welcoming nature of campus and the relationships that he built with professors and peers gave him a strong connection to the University.

An East Asian studies concentrator, Schott began studying China in high school and immediately fell in love with Princeton’s Chinese department. Anna Shields, the former head of the East Asian studies department and his academic adviser, became his mentor and thesis adviser; for Schott, this was a “full circle” experience.

In the pool, Schott also emerged as a leader, serving as captain in both his junior and senior years. He described trying to serve as an older brother figure to younger swimmers while fostering a culture of improvement, elite training, and closeness within the program.

That culture, along with Princeton’s alumni network, helped shape Schott’s next steps. After competing at the World University Games last summer in Berlin, conversations with coaches, mentors, and alumni guided his decision to pursue training with Bowman.

The process moved quickly. He met the assistant coach at Texas in Berlin back in the summer, and in December, Princeton head coach Matt Crispino reached out to Bowman. Schott then spoke with him directly, and within two weeks the plan was in motion.

While Schott’s sights are set on the Olympics, he hopes to bring something new to swimming along the way. “I want to be myself in the sport,” he said.

“Swimming is a buttoned-up sport and often doesn’t reward people who are kind of going against the grain,” he said. “There’s very few, if not any, very elite swimmers that … allow themselves to be accessible to the swimming market. So my goal is to try to create that.”

As Schott prepared to leave campus, he explained that he’ll miss walking through Princeton’s campus and feeling a part of something larger than himself. “It’s home,” he said.