| Mike Schmidt was OU’s top
distance freestyler in the early to mid eighties. Schmidt won a national title in the
1,650 freestyle and two other national crowns with 800 free relay unit. Mike’s championship in the 1,650, the only one in the OU school
history, came in his junior year. His time of 15:49.66 was four seconds ahead of teammate
Tracy Huth and led a 1-2-3 Oakland sweep of that event. Huth and Craig Chappell teamed
with Schmidt on both of the 800 free relay title teams. The 1983 team, which also included
Steve Gallagher, won by two seconds, while the 1984 unit, with Mike McCloskey , won by
just 13 hundredths of a second. Mike was an 11-time All-American in all, and was a member
of four teams that placed in the top three nationally, including three that finished
second. He is a former school record holder in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle events.
Schmidt, who works as an attorney, received his Bachelor of
Arts degree in history from Oakland in 1984. He is single and lives in Troy. |
