Even though she was an All-American on the Wildcat softball team, Lisa Yamamoto ’15 recently made headlines in a different sport: ice swimming.
On Jan. 29, 2022, the DNA analyst from Vancouver, Washington, completed her first Ice Mile, a mile-long swim in waters 41 degrees Fahrenheit or less in a standard swimsuit. She swam 1.05 miles in 36-degree water, becoming one of only 52 American members of the International Ice Swimming Association and among 459 in the world to have completed the challenge.
But, she wasn’t done yet.
Earlier in January, a Seattle woman set a new U.S. ice-swimming distance record with a 1.4-mile swim in 39.2-degree water.
“I was feeling pretty good at that point,” Yamamoto said. “I felt that based on my time and tolerance, I could surpass that distance.”
On Feb. 26 in Camas, Washington, Yamamoto did just that. She completed a 1.61-mile swim in 37.1-degree water and set the record for the longest U.S. ice swim. It is the eighth-longest in the world, and the second-longest ever by a female swimmer.
Her eyes are now set on the next challenge.
“Now that water temperatures are getting warmer, I’m focusing more on distance swimming,” Yamamoto said. “I’m training for the 11-mile Portland Bridge Swim this summer.”
