WAUKESHA, Wis. – Freshman Mackenzie Karbash is only beginning her collegiate swimming career at Carroll University, but her journey in the pool has already taken her farther than she once imagined.

After years of developing as a swimmer while navigating a visual impairment, Karbash has continued to take steps forward in para swimming. Now classified as an S12 swimmer, she has achieved national qualifying standards and earned an opportunity to attend a prospect camp designed to identify athletes who could potentially become part of the national team program in future years.

The opportunity is not an invitation to national team trials, something Karbash is quick to clarify, but it represents another significant step for a swimmer who once wasn't sure she would compete collegiately at all.

"I really appreciate the opportunities, and I am excited to see where my swim career can take me," Karbash said. "I appreciate the support and the interest in my journey."

Karbash first entered the sport at six years old, swimming for a local club team while developing her strokes. Her visual impairment presented challenges, particularly when it came to technique. Unable to visually see and replicate certain movements, Karbash worked with several private instructors over the years to continue refining her strokes.

She went on to swim varsity all four years of high school and served as a captain during her final two seasons. Despite having less sight than her teammates, Karbash developed into one of the fastest swimmers on her team.

After her junior season, Karbash decided she wanted to dedicate more time to the sport outside of the high school season. That January, she and her parents went to their local aquatics center, where a chance encounter eventually connected her with the J-Hawks Aquatic Club and Coach Joan Domitrz, or "Coach D" as Karbash refers to her as.

Karbash worked with Coach D three to four times a week from January through May before joining the J-Hawks Aquatic Club that June. The experience not only helped her continue developing in the pool, but also introduced her to para swimming events at the Wisconsin USA Swimming State Championships.

At the same time, Karbash was beginning to consider what life after high school could look like. Carroll quickly emerged as her top college choice because of its animal behavior program, although continuing her swimming career wasn't initially part of the plan.

Another J-Hawks coach, Cheri Zimdars, encouraged Karbash to contact Carroll swimming and diving head coach Guy Gniotczynski and consider competing in college. Karbash met Gniotczynski during the summer long course state meet, and the conversation started to change what she thought might be possible.

"I was so excited after meeting him because he seemed like a great coach that would work with me even with my visual impairment," Karbash said.

As Karbash completed her final high school season and continued competing at the club level, she remained in contact with Gniotczynski. He encouraged her to pursue an official para swimming classification, eventually leading Karbash to become classified as an S12 swimmer.

Another breakthrough followed during the spring of her senior year when she began attending monthly training sessions with a group that works with para swimmers. It was there that Karbash learned she had achieved national qualifying standards for a national meet in Walnut, California. It was another milestone Karbash never envisioned when she first began swimming.

"I never thought I would be swimming in college," Karbash said.

Now a freshman at Carroll, Karbash has the opportunity to continue developing within the Pioneer swimming and diving program while also pursuing her goals in para swimming. The prospect camp is the latest step in that pursuit. Rather than serving as a national team trial, the camp provides an opportunity to identify athletes who could potentially develop into candidates for the national team in the coming years.

Karbash knows there is still a considerable gap between where she is now and where she hopes to be. Instead of shying away from that reality, she views it as motivation.

"Currently, I do not even feel I am that good to make trials, but hopefully with continued work I can get there someday," Karbash said.

Through each stage of the journey, Karbash has also been surrounded by people who have helped make those opportunities possible. From the coaches who worked with her technique and introduced her to para swimming to her family members who made countless trips to practices and competitions possible, Karbash knows her progress hasn't been hers alone.

"My parents have done so much for me, supporting me and driving me wherever I needed to go," Karbash said. "I truly wouldn't be here without all my coaches' support and family."
For Karbash, her arrival at Carroll isn't the culmination of that journey. As a freshman, it's the beginning of another chapter.

From learning how to navigate the sport with a visual impairment to finding her place in para swimming, reaching national qualifying standards and now beginning her collegiate career, each step has opened another possibility.

Where those possibilities ultimately take her remains to be seen, but Karbash is eager to find out.