When Amanda Shapiro ’04 stepped out of the Swanson pool for the final time, she did so as one of the most accomplished swimmers in school history. During her six-year varsity career with the Bears, she was an All-State and All-Long Island selection, a four-time All-County honoree, and a six-time recipient of All-League recognition. Four times she received the Girls’ Swimming Performance Award at Class Night and she was honored twice with the Swanson Trophy for Superior Performance. Her name still resides next to four individual and three relay school records.

Shapiro also distinguished herself as one of the finest swimmers in New York State while at Stony Brook. In 2001 she finished 22nd in the 100 yard breaststroke at the New York State Federation meet in a time of 1:10.25. The following year she took 4th in the State in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.69 and 15th in the 200 yard individual medley in 2:15.87. She closed her postseason swimming career for the Blue and White in 2003 where she finished 8th in the State in Class B and 19th overall in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.56). Even after a successful Stony Brook career, Shapiro’s best races were still ahead of her at Wesleyan University.

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It did not take Shapiro long to make an impression with the Cardinals. In her first collegiate meet against Bates College she broke three school records in the 200 medley relay (1:51.78), 100 breast (1:07.40), and 200 IM (2:14.38) to help Wesleyan defeat the Bobcats, 159-141. Two days later she followed that up by resetting her own record in the 100 breast (1:07.12) and establishing new milestones in the 50 breast (31.39) and 400 IM (4:37.56) against Amherst College. Additionally, her times in the 400 IM and 100 breast set new standards for the Amherst pool. For her efforts she was named the Swimmer of the Week by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America and at season’s end was given Wesleyan Swimming’s Jones Award, presented to the outstanding contributor on the women’s team.

There was no sophomore slump in store for Shapiro as she reached new plateaus during her 2005-2006 season. She reset her own records in the 50 breast (29.98), 100 breast (1:04.79), and 200 breast (2:21.99), finished in the Top three in the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke and 400 medley relay at the Conference Championships, earning All-Conference recognition in each event, and qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events where she earned All-American status by finishing 5th in the 200 breast and 6th in the 100 breast. After a phenomenal season she received the team’s Coaches Award and Cardinal Award.

Records continued to fall in 2006-2007 as Shapiro set the standard in the 100 freestyle (53.15) and 100 IM (1:03.11). She earned All-Conference status in the 100 breast and then received All-American nods in the 100 and 200 breast after finishing 5th and 16th, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. She also excelled out of the pool, receiving Academic All-American honors in addition to her other accomplishments.

Shapiro closed a remarkable career for the Cardinals in 2007-2008 as the captain of the team. She broke the school record in the 100 IM (1:02.53) and helped set new marks in the 200 medley relay (1:48.48) and 400 medley relay (3:58.20). For the third time she received All-American recognition in the 100 breast after taking 6th at the NCAA Championships. After yet another outstanding season, she again received the team’s Jones Award as well as Wesleyan University’s Suki Hoagland Award, presented annually to the outstanding contributor to women’s athletics.

She continues to hold the school records in the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke.

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