Seven Sisters Swimming
Cathleen Pruden '16 joined a relay of Seven Sisters students and alums to swim the 40-mile Catalina Channel off the coast of southern California.
All-American swimmer Cathleen Pruden ’16 from Mount Holyoke College joined a team of six female athletes to swim the Catalina Channel in a 40-mile relay event. All six swimmers were current or former student-athletes, representing three of the original Seven Sisters colleges. In addition to Pruden, also represented were swimmers from Wellesley and Smith colleges.
The two-way Catalina Channel open-water swim began on Friday, June 16, from the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The women in the relay swam to Catalina Island in one-hour shifts and then swam back to the mainland.
The group released a mission statement for the swim ahead of this historic event saying that they were “embarking on this relay to be an example of empowerment.”
Their accomplishment was featured in SwimSwam Magazine and on the website of Mount Holyoke’s athletics department.
Pruden’s extensive accomplishments as a swimmer included being named a three-time NCAA National All-American in the 400 individual medley, an eight-time NEWMAC champion and a 17-time Seven Sisters Champion. She also holds 13 of Mount Holyoke's 23 school records, including nine individual. An outstanding student, Pruden was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 2016.