Michael has been an athlete his entire life. It began here in Branford with youth soccer and swimming for the Branford StingRays under BHOF coach George Miles. His athletic career really took off at Branford H.S. where Mike was named to the All-State swim team all four years for his outstanding performances at the state championship meets. His work ethic and goal setting spread to the entire Branford team. In 1991 he led the Branford team to the Class L State Championship and in 1992 he was co-captain of the team that won the Class M State Championship. He set school records in the 100 yard freestyle and several relay events and won individual state championships in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle events.
After graduating from Branford Michael went to the University of Delaware where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1996. During his years at Delaware he was a leader on the Varsity Swim Team and placed in the top three at the Colonial Athletic Conference Championships in the 200, 500 and 1650 yard freestyle events. Summers he worked as a lifeguard at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where in 1993, he was named rookie of the year based on ten athletic events performed back to back. He went on to compete in Lifeguard National Championship competition in California and Florida.
After college he continued to train and his conditioning level became legendary as he competed in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge 4.4 mile open water swim and for three years finished in less than two hours without a wetsuit. After relocating to Oregon he competed in open water swims where he won the Oregon championships in both the 1500 meter and 5K events in 2006 and set the 5K Oregon record for his age group. He recorded the 4th fastest time ever in the 5,000 meter swim for the 30 to 35 year old age group.
In 2012, Michael’s interest turned to underwater hockey, a sport that is popular on the West Coast. He has competed for Team Oregon since 2013 and has participated in the Pacific Coast Championships and National Championships in Canada, Hawaii, Nevada, California, Minnesota and Colorado. This year Michael was named to Team USA and in March competed in the World Championships in South Africa, representing the USA which placed sixth in the world.
Professionally Michael holds Professional Engineering Licenses in Oregon and Delaware. He serves as a project manager responsible for design and construction management oversight of residential and commercial developments throughout the state of Oregon.
Michael is proof that athletic competition does not end when you graduate from high school. Now in his 40’s, still competing at an international level, he is a dedicated lifelong athlete who continues to make us all proud that he got his start in Branford.
