Claire Jansen is putting the finishing touches on a record-breaking career with Pitt swimming and diving, but the former Naperville North star almost missed out on the chance to make a splash at the next level. Claire’s athletic plans were shaken up by the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago. This Where Are They Now segment is presented by Grow Sports Psychology.
“I really was into water polo, mainly, in high school, which was really fun. I loved it, and then basically when Covid happened, it shut down my I think it was my sophomore season, of water polo. So I started swimming a lot more,” said Naperville North alum and Pitt swimmer Claire Jansen. “And because you were able to do that without being around people, and then my junior year swim season, my coach at North was like, hey, you should look into swimming in college. Your times are pretty good, you could do it. So I was like, all right, I’ll swim now.”
A two-sport star at Naperville North
Whether it was swimming or water polo, Jansen thrived in the pool. She grew up playing both sports at Cress Creek Commons with her younger sister, Calista. In high school, she was a two-time All-State selection in water polo. Specializing in the backstroke during the swim season, she earned All-State honors in the 100-yard back, the 200 medley relay, and both the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays. The shining achievement of her career with the blue and orange was the back-to-back state water polo championships in 2021 and 2022.
“That was just amazing. And I loved winning my junior year. But my senior year was really special, I think, just because I convinced a lot of my friends who weren’t as into water polo, I convinced them all to just join the team. So it was like just all of my best friends on this amazing team,” said Jansen.
Playing alongside lifelong friends and her sister made the title run even more memorable.
“She (Calista) really counts her senior year or my senior year as, like, her best year or two because, like, she was able to play a little bit more. So it was really fun to have her on the team,” said Jansen.
Proving her abilities to coaches at the next level
Despite all Claire had accomplished, she still had to work to win over collegiate swim programs to prove she was capable of thriving at the next level.
“I knew when I was going into recruiting that I had a lot more in me because I started late. So I really had to sell myself to all these coaches. I was like, I can do it. Just please recruit me! Please let me come. Let me swim. I’m just really grateful that I was able to prove it and prove that I can be a lot better than I was.”
A record-breaking career at Pitt
The University of Pittsburgh coaching staff is certainly glad they believed in Jansen. In her four years with the Panthers, Claire set seven new program records, including in the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke. She is also a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier and finished her junior season as an Honorable Mention All-American in the 100 back.
One of her career highlights came in the summer of 2024, when Jansen earned a chance to compete on one of the biggest stages in swimming at the Team USA Olympic Trials.
“I went to U.S Nationals in Indianapolis, and I qualified, and that was just huge to see, like all these past Olympians there. So that was amazing,” said Jansen. “Then being there and knowing that I had put my all into getting to this point, so might as well just have fun with it when I’m there. I remember it just so fondly because I wasn’t that nervous. I was just like, all right, I’m here. Let’s make the most of it.”
There are still several months of her senior season remaining at Pitt with a final opportunity to prove any doubters wrong against the best collegiate swimmers in the country before the transition to a career on dry land.
“There’s just not a lot of opportunity for pro swimming, which is fine. I still love it. But career-wise, I guess. I’m hoping to get into this EMT class at Pitt and then work as an EMT for a year and then apply to physician assistant programs. That’s my goal. So kind of switching my athlete brain off, not off, but more towards a career and, trying to get that underway because it’s been a lot about swimming for the past four plus years,” Jansen explained.
For Naperville Sports Weekly, I’m Justin Cornwell.
