Rachel Peden
Rachel Peden
Height: 5-2
Year: Senior
Hometown: Boiling Springs, S.C.
High School: Boiling Springs High School
Events: Distance

2022-2023: Peden ended her senior year with the South Atlantic Conference President's Award and SAC Women's Swimming Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Peden was also honored in the Academic All-America Women's Swimming and Diving Team and was nominated for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She was named the South Atlantic Conference Varsity Gems Women's Swimmer of the Week for her performance during the eighth week of the season where she took gold in the women's 1000-yard freestyle event with a time of 10:59.31 against Emory & Henry. Peden earned Honorable Mention All-American honors for her ninth-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle at the 2023 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships. Peden finished the race in 16:58.37. During the South Atlantic Conference Championships, Peden won gold in the 400-yard IM with a personal best time of 4:22.61. She placed second in the 500-yard freestyle, 1000-yard freestyle, and 1650-yard freestyle during the championships. Peden ended her senior season with eight first-place finishes. 

2021-2022: Peden finished 7th in the 1650-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

2020-2021: At NCAA Division II National Championships, Peden finished 17th in the women's 400-yard IM with a time of 4:23.26. Peden also gathered a top-30 finish in the women's 1000-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, and women's 1,650-yd freestyle. Peden also competed as part of the women's 200-yard individual medley, the women's 400-yard individual medley, and the women's 800-yard freestyle relay team.

2019-2020: Peden started the year off with a bang by placing 33rd in the CSCAA Open Water National Championships. At the Tennessee Invitational, Peden had a time of 17.47, good enough for fourth-best in program history. At the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships, Peden finished the 1000-yard freestyle in 10:19.06, strong enough for an All-Conference-deserving fifth-place mark. It was a season-best time for Peden in her BMC Championships debut. Peden finished seventh in the 200-yard butterfly at conference championships in 2:05.39. On the final day of conference championships, Peden placed fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a lifetime-best time of 17.13, just one second off the program record.

High School: Attended Boiling Springs High School in Inman, South Carolina... invited to the YMCA Nationals 2015-2019 where she finished in 2nd place in '16 and '18