2018-19 Swimming & Diving Roster
Marcelo Acosta
- Weight:
- null
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- San Salvador, El Salvador
- High School:
- Colegio San Francisco
Senior: Acosta continued to play a major role for the Cardinals in his senior season, finishing with All-American honors in the 1650 free for the second straight season with a sixth place finish in a time of 14:38.92 at the NCAA Championships. He also competed individually in both the 500 free and 200 free at NCAAs. At ACCs, Acosta scored 61 points for the Cards, highlighted by a silver medal performance in the 1650 free (14:40.19). He also competed in the A final of the 500 free, placing fourth with a time of 4:14.94. Internationally, Acosta competed for El Salvador at the Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou, China, finishing 12th in the 1650 free, 13th in the 400 free and 29th in the 200 free. At the IU Invitational, Acosta registered a top finish in the 500 free with a time of 4:17.43, while winning the 500 six times, 1000 four times and 1650 two times throughout the dual meet season.
Junior: As a junior, Acosta continued to prove himself as one of the top distance swimmers in the NCAA. At the NCAA Championships, he recorded a fifth place finish in the 1650 free with a time of 14:38.22, as well as a ninth place finish in the 500 free in a school record time of 4:11.61. Acosta also had a strong ACC Championships, earning bronze medals in both the 500 free (4:13.70) and 1650 free (14:41.21). He also scored points in the 200 free, placing 10th in a time of 1:35.32. At the Winter National Championships, he notched bronze medals in the 500 free (4:18.94) and 1650 free (14:54.95), while also placing ninth in the 200 free (1:36.04). Acosta represented El Salvador at the Central American and Caribbean Championships, winning gold in the 1500-meter free (15:41.21), 200-meter free (1:52.01) and 400-meter IM (4:34.61). In the dual meet season, Acosta’s top performance came against Indiana, where he won both the 1000 free (9:05.90) and 500 free (4:25.61).
Sophomore: As a newly-minted Olympian, Acosta had an outstanding season for the Cardinals. He qualified for the 2017 World Championships in Budapest for El Salvador, placing 14th in both the 800-meter free (7:55.70) and 1500-meter free (15:04.79), while also swimming the 200-meter free (1:50.92) and 400-meter free (3:51.76). Acosta also competed in the CCCAN Swimming Championships, winning gold medals in the 400-meter free (3:55.54), 1500-meter free (15:39.51), and 200-meter fly (2:06.46). At the NCAA Championships, he competed in the 500 free (4:18.04) and placed 10th in the 1650 free (14:39.79). He won his first ACC Championship in the 1650 free in a time of 14:33.68, while also recording a sixth place finish in the 500 free (4:16.68). Both of his performances at ACCs were school record-breaking times. He competed in the Mesa, Santa Clara, and Atlanta Arena Pro Swim Series meets, placing first in the 1500-meter free and 400-meter free at Mesa, as well as taking the victory in the 1500 free at Santa Clara. Throughout the dual meet season, Acosta won both the 500 free and 1000 free against Missouri, Notre Dame, and Kentucky. At the UofL Invitational, he scored 92 points for the Cardinals, winning the 500 free (4:18.01) and the 1650 free (14:47.79), as well as placing second in the 200 free (1:38.34). Acosta sat out the 2015-16 season to prepare for the 2016 Olympic games where he competed for El Salvador. He became the first swimmer from El Salvador to qualify for the Olympic Games with an “A” cut. The native of El Salvador shattered his personal best time in the 400-free, winning his heat in 3:48.82 and shaving three seconds off his qualifying time. Acosta won the 1500-meter free with a time of 15:13.09 at the Arena Pro Series in Orlando, FL. There, he also set a new National Record and placed 10th in the FINA rankings at the time. He was one of three swimmers to represent El Salvador in Rio. As of August 2016, he holds the Salvadoran records in the 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 free.
Freshman (2014-15): At ACCs, Acosta won the B-final in the 500 free with a 4:20.76 and earned a bronze medal in the 1650 free with a time of 14:57.58. At the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, Acosta set a games record in the 1500-meter free in a time of 15:22.43. He won silver at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games and was second in 400-meter free at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. At the Pan Am Games in Toronto, he finished third in the 200 free B-final with a 1:50.95. He won the B-final in the 400-free with a time of 3:51.12. He was fourth in the 1500-meter free with a time of 15:16.26.
Prep: Acosta has swam on the international stage a number of times, including in 2013 at the FINA World Junior Championships and at the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Championships, where he picked up medals of every color. In 2014 at the Youth Olympics, Acosta took home the silver in the 800-meter free, en route to setting the national record in the event. At the 2013 Central American Games, he was first in 400-meter and 1500-meter free and was second in 200-meter and 800-meter free. He also competed at 2013 Bolivian Games and the 2013 FINA World Aquatics Championships.
Personal: Major is sports administration.
