Kristen Romano

FR/BK/IM

Player profile

  • Year Senior
  • Height 5-9
  • Hometown Lancaster, N.Y.
  • Last School Long Beach HS
  • Club Team Long Island Aquatic Club

Career Bests

Career Honors

  • CSCAA First Team All-American
    • 200 Back (2020)
    • 200 IM (2020, 2021)
    • 400 IM (2020)
    • 800 Free (2021)
  • CSCAA Second Team All-American
    • 400 IM (2021)
  • CSCAA Honorable Mention All-American
    • 400 IM (2018)
    • 400 Free Relay (2018)
    • 800 Free Relay (2018, 2019)
  • Second Team All-Big Ten (2018)
  • First Team All-Big Ten (2021)
  • Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2018)
  • CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American (2018, 2019 2020)
  • Academic All-Big Ten (2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Ohio State Scholar-Athlete (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

School Records
• 200 Backstroke – 1:52.86 (2017)
• 200 Freestyle – 1:44.48 (2019)
• 400 Free Relay – 3:12.90 (2021)
• 800 Free Relay – 6:59.62 (2019)

2020-21 (Senior)

  • Won the 200 Back in a time of 1:58.26 and tied for first in the 200 IM (2:02.25) at the triangular against Purdue and Rutgers
  • 2021 Big Ten Champion in the 200 and 400 IMs
  • Also earned points for the Buckeyes in the 800 Free (third), 200 Back (second) and 400 Free (second)
  • Earned All-America honors in the 200 Back, 200 and 400 IM and the 800 Free

2019-20 (Junior)

  • Won the 200 Back in the season-opening meet at Texas A&M with a time of 2:02.83
  • Was then part of the winning 400 Free Relay team (3:21.99) which bested both Penn State and Virginia Tech
  • Swam the 200 and 400 IM as well as the 200 Back at the Toyota U.S. Open in Atlanta, Ga.
  • Had a great showing at the Big Ten Championships, qualifying for the A finals in three events
  • Took fifth in the 200 IM with a time of 1:57.29 after posting a season-best and NCAA B cut time of 1:57.14 in a swim-off to qualify for the finals
  • Claimed the bronze medal in the 400 IM with another season-best time of 4:07.72
  • Capped the event with a sixth-place finish in the 200 Back, touching the wall in a season-best 1:53.99

2018-19 (Sophomore)

  • As the leadoff leg for the 800 Free Relay, set a school record 200 Free time of 1:44.48 on the way to finishing 14th with a new school record time of 6:59.62 at the NCAA Championships
  • Also a member of the 17th-place 400 Free Relay (3:15.36) and 21st-place 400 Medley Relay (3:32.91) at the NCAA Championships
  • Competed individually in the 200 IM and 400 IM at the NCAA Championships
  • Earned bronze in the 400 IM at the Big Ten Championships with a season-best time of 4:07.01, as well as finishing sixth in the 200 Back with a season-best of 1:54.49 and 10th in the 200 IM with a career-best time of 1:56.76, the No. 4 time in program history
  • Leadoff leg of the 800 Free Relay at the Big Ten Championships, finishing fourth with a time of 7:02.93; anchored the 400 Medley Relay to fifth place with a time of 3:33.34. and the 400 Free Relay to fourth place with a time of 3:14.72
  • Won the 400 IM (4:13.91) at the Shamrock Invitational
  • Represented Ohio State at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, finishing fourth in the 400 IM (4:11.74) and eighth in the 200 Free (1:48.81)
  • Swept the 200 Free (1:49.78) and 200 Back (1:58.37) vs. Virginia Tech and Penn State
  • Led the team in the 200 Free, 200 Back and 400 IM; No. 2 in the 200 IM

2017-18 (Freshman)

  • NCAA Qualifier in the 400 IM and as a member of the 400 and 800 Free Relay teams
  • Used a personal-best 400 IM time of 4:04.56 to claim 10th at the NCAA Championships; also clocked a personal-best 200 Free time of 1:45.03 as the leadoff leg of the 800 Free Relay, helping the quartet to the second-fastest time in school history (7:03.29)
  • Helped the 400 Free Relay team to a 10th-place finish (3:13.45) as the anchor leg at the NCAA Championships
  • Earned a bronze medal in the 400 IM with a time of 4:06.90 at the Big Ten Championships
  • Set a school record on the 400 Free Relay team with an overall time of 3:13.35, claiming silver at the Big Ten Championships
  • Also finished fourth in the 200 Back (1:53.34), fifth as a member of the 800 Free Relay (7:04.14), and 14th int he 200 IM (1:58.50)
  • Broke the program record in the 200 Back with a time of 1:52.86, placing third at the USA Winter Nationals; also recorded a personal-best 500 Free time of 4:41.41 at the event
  • Opened her Ohio State career with a win in the 200 Free (1:50.02) against Kenyon
  • Finished the season with 10 Top Five finishes at head-to-head meets

Prior to Ohio State

  • Swam at Long Beach high school for six years under coaches John Skudin and Lynn Volosevich.
  • Swam for the Long Island Aquatic Club under coaches Dave Ferris and Dominick Boccio.
  • 2017 New York State Swimming and Diving Most Valuable Swimmer.
  • 2017 NCSA Junior National Champion in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:10.24.
  • Scholastic All-American.
  • Five-time high school All-American.
  • Holds three New York state records (200 medley relay, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly).
  • 2017 NCSA Junior National Championship High Point Scorer.
  • Won back-to-back titles in the 200 backstroke at the 2016 and 2017 Senior Metropolitan Winter Championships

Personal

  • Daughter of Brenda and Michael Romano
  • Has one sibling (Gabriel)
  • Majoring in political science
  • Owns five Puerto Rican national records (200 Free, 400 Free, 200 Back, 200 IM, 400 IM)
  • Chose Ohio State because it is the best place in the world for her to pursue her goals in and out of the pool
  • Has aspirations of going to law school after graduation
  • Most memorable swimming moment of her life was becoming an 18 and under national champion in the 200 backstroke