• 2019 Inducted into the NewEngland LMSC Hall of Fame (Pool Performance)

• USMS Records – 45 lifetime,17 currently held

• USMS All American – 106 (742 points)

• USMS All Star – 6 years

• USMS Top Ten – 175 Individual

• NE LMSC All Time Top 3 – 269 points

Mike Ross grew up swimming in northern Connecticut. He attended Princeton University where he swam the lead backstroke leg of two NCAA winning 4 x 50 medley relays, setting an American record in his senior year. Following college, he competed at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Trials. At the age of 36 Mike began swimming Masters as therapy following a back injury. With the support of New England and Maine Masters, he has achieved 45 USMS records and numerous New England and World records, specializing in sprint backstroke, fly, and freestyle.

Excerpted from “From the Center Lanes,” SWIMMER magazine, Sep-Oct 2009:

Mike Ross, 41, lives in Shrewsbury, Mass., and competes for Maine Masters, as well as swims and coaches for the Bluefish Swim Club. Ross was an NCAA Division All-American Swimmer for Princeton University, was an American record holder in the 200 medley relay, a three-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Trials, and a member of the first United States Resident National Team for Swimming. He currently holds five Masters world records in swimming and nine USMS records.

From “Washed up? No way,” March 30, 2006, in The Boston Globe:

Ross first leapt from the starting block as a youngster growing up in Somers, Conn. He had a successful college career at Princeton, finishing as a captain while swimming on an NCAA championship relay team that also set a national record. He went on to compete in the US Olympic trials in 1988, 1992, and 1996, but never qualified for Olympic competition. He retired in 1996 at the age of 28, focusing more on full-time work and starting a family.

‘In many ways, it was disappointing,’ he said. '’I felt I hadn’t reached my potential.’

Ross stayed away from swimming for seven years, although it was never far from his mind. Ask his wife, he said, and ‘she would say I was pretty depressed about it.’

’At that point, I had swum for 20 years competitively and now all of a sudden, I didn’t have that. It was a bedrock in my life. I defined myself as a swimmer all those years and now what was I? I don’t think I had much direction at the time. I wasn’t the same old person.’

An unexpected turn of events led Ross back to the pool. In 2003, he ruptured a disc in his back. As part of rehabilitation from surgery, doctors advised him to stay off his feet and to use exercises that would strengthen his back muscles. Swimming was ideal.

’Three weeks later, I was in the water, and I just kept swimming.’

In 2004, he competed at a national championship for masters-level swimmers and set two world records. The success surprised him -- motivated him, too.