Trio of USC Senior Swimmers Announce Return For 2021-2022 Season
Trojan All-American senior trio Marta Ciesla, Mario Koenigsperger and Nikola Miljenic announced Friday their return to USC next year, opting to use their final year of eligibility to compete in the 2021-2022 swim season.
The NCAA announced in October 2020 that they would grant an extra season of eligibility to student-athletes because of the unique circumstances of competition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marta Ciesla: Free - Boca Raton, Florida
Ciesla, who will now pursue a M.S. in Social Entrepreneurship, just earned her bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in entrepreneurship.
Ciesla is a repeat Pac-12 finalist and NCAA Championships relay scorer. At USC, Marta has picked up multiple All-American honors and continues to be a force in both the 50 & 100y free. At the Pac-12 Swimming Championships this season, she helped the Trojans to a second-place finish in the 400y free relay, and reached the consolation final of the 100y free, finishing 15th overall. In 2020, Ciesla was a two-time Pac-12 finalist, earning a spot on the podium with second place finishes in both the 50y (21.86) and 100y free (48.02).
Mario Koenigsperger: Breast – Auckland, New Zealand
Koenigsperger, a redshirt senior, will seek an M.S. in analytics while competing in his fifth season for the Trojans. Most recently, Koenigsperger earned his B.S. in Business Administration.
The Auckland native came to USC in 2016 and has been a force in the breastroke events since, securing his name in the Trojan record books (100-meter breast). Koenigsperger has finaled at NCAA's, has earned CSCAA Scholar All-American honors three times, and is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic second team selection.
After redshirting in 2020 to focus on training for New Zealand's Olympic trials, Koenigsperger returned to USC this season, where he finished eighth in the A final of the 100y breast (53.54) and third in the consolation final of the 200y breast (1:57.35) at the Pac-12 Championships.
Nikola Miljenic: Free/Fly – Zagreb, Croatia
Miljenic, who now has his sights set on an M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, just wrapped up his B.S. in International Relations (Global Business).
After a season spent at the University of Indiana, Miljenic came to USC in 2019 and has served as a sprint free and fly specialist for the Trojans. He is a seven-time Pac-12 finalist and earned a pair of All-American honors in 2019 as part of USC's 200y and 400y Medley Relays that finished eighth and sixth, respectively at NCAA's.
This season, Nikola was second in the 100y fly (45.33), fourth in the 100y free (42.84) and fifth in the 50y free (19.48) at the Pac-12 Championships. He also contributed to Troy's third place finish in the 400y free relay.