Meet Ladera Ranch swimmer, Sandpipers of Nevada member Mackenzie Hodges
LADERA RANCH, Calif. — Mackenzie “Macky” Hodges is a 6-foot-tall, 18-year-old Ladera Ranch neighbor completing her senior year of high school…online…from Las Vegas. Reason being? She is training to be an Olympic swimmer.
Swimming competitively since age 10, Macky was part of the Mission Viejo Nadadores Club. She also swam for Santa Margarita High School until another team caught her attention: The Sandpipers of Nevada. She approached the Sandpipers’ coach, Ron Aitken, on her own, and after a tryout and several persuasive conversations with her parents, Macky joined the team. “My super supportive, amazing parents said, ‘Let’s do it!’ and I was on my way,” the swimmer says.
The Sandpipers have launched the careers of Olympians Katie Grimes, Erica Sullivan, and Bella Sims, and Macky is working toward joining that elite list.
Macky shares, “We have 11-12 practices a week for two hours and weight training three days a week for 1.5 hours. It’s intense. But I feel like I have a normal teenage life, and one of my parents is always with me.”
Macky hopes to make the World Championships in July 2023 in Japan after high-altitude training in Colorado Springs for a month before the event. Her best score is a 2:00 in the 200 Freestyle long course, which qualifies her for the Olympic Trials, held June 15-23, 2024, in Indianapolis, IN. Macky reflects, “All of my hard work is coming to fruition; all of the sacrifices I made, and giving 110% every day makes it all worth it. And my incredible parents supported all of it.”
Speaking of her parents, Macky comes from an incredibly athletic family. Her dad played professional basketball overseas, her mom played D-1 volleyball for Cornell, her brother is the captain of the San Juan Hills High School basketball team, and her sister—6’ 2” at age 13—is already a promising volleyball player.
The swimmer has committed to swim for USC this fall and says, “I’ll go home after the summer season, grab my stuff, and head to college.” Macky Hodges is the real deal, and we’re so excited to watch her go for gold!
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