Cecilia Cai
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- Height:
- 5'6''
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- Year:
- 2025
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- Hometown:
- Palo Alto, Calif.
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- High School:
- Henry M. Gunn
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- Position:
- Fly/IM
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- Major:
- Economics & East Asian Studies
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- Pronunciation:
- ceh-SEAL-ee-uh KAI
Bio
Link to SwimCloud.com Career Statistics
Collegiate Career Honors:
- 2023-24 NEWMAC Women's Swimming & Diving Second Team All-Conference
- 2024 400 Medley Relay - 3:51.22
- 2023 CSCAA Individual Scholar All-American
- 2x NEWMAC Swimmer of the Week (1/18/22, 1/15/23)
- 5x NEWMAC Relay of the week (11/15/21, 1/18/22, 1/31/22, 1/15/23, 11/5/23)
- 2023-24 NEWMAC All-Sportsmanship
2023-24:
- Opened the season by winning the 200 Fly against Wheaton (2:12.33)
- Earned first in the 200 Fly (2:11.24) and 400 IM (4:44.20) against Simmons and Merrimack
- Placed eighth in the 200 Fly finals at the MIT Invitational (2:09.52)
- Won the 500 Free (5:19.25), 400 IM (4:41.72) and 200 Fly (2:08.65) at the Sisters Invitational
- Runner-up in the 200 Free at Coast Guard (2:00.78)
- Claimed first in the 200 Fly against Springfield and Smith (2:11.67)
- Finished seventh in the 400 IM (4:37.81), 200 Fly (2:09.11), seventh in the “B” finals of the 200 IM (2:12.52) at the NEWMAC Championships
2022-23:
- Won 200 Fly (2:10.00) against Wheaton to begin season
- Captured first in 1000 Free (11:14.18), 200 Back (2:13.28), 400 IM (4:47.52) in win over Simmons
- First against Mount Holyoke in 200 Fly (2:12.21)
- Ninth at MIT Invitational in 200 Fly (2:09.72)
- Top spot in 500 Free (5:19.74), 200 Fly (2:09.84), 400 IM (4:42.39) at Sisters Invitational
- Gold in 500 Free (5:17.95), 200 Fly (2:09.38) against Coast Guard
- Won 200 Back (2:12.32) and 200 Fly (2:11.24) taking on Smith/Springfield
- 400 IM champ (4:42.69) against Merrimack
- Seventh at NEWMAC Championship in both 200 Fly (2:08.70) and 400 IM (4:38.23)
- Part of 200 Medley Relay team that placed 26th at the NCAA DIII Championships (1:46.86)
2021-22:
- Made her collegiate debut and placed first in the 200 Fly (2:12.29) versus Wheaon on Oct. 30
- Earned two first place finishes in the 200 Free (1:59.78) and set a personal best in the 200 Back (2:12.46) against Simmons on Nov. 6
- Won the 200 Back (2:12.97) and 200 Fly (2:11.78 - personal best) versus Springfield on Nov. 14
- Captured three first place finishes in the 1000 Free (11:01.86), 200 Back (2:13.42), and 100 Fly (1:01.20) versus Mount Holyoke on Nov. 20
- Placed 10th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:44.86 at the MIT Invitational
- Dominated the Wellesley Sisters Invitational with four first place finishes in the 500 Free (5:28.90), 200 Back (2:11.94), 200 Fly (212.37), and 400 IM (4:45.93)
- Followed up with a first place finish in the 500 Free (5:19.75) against Smith on Jan. 22
- Picked up two victories in both the 200 Back (2:10.43) and 200 Fly (2:08.92) against Coast Guard on Jan. 28
- Swam a personal best in the 500 Free (5:14.31), 200 Fly (2:07.43), and 400 IM (4:34.55) at the NEWMAC Championships
Before Wellesley:
- Attended Gunn High School, graduated in 2021
- Helped the Gunn Women's swim team to win Central Coast Selections in 2018 and 2019
- Club swimmer for 11 years
- Four-time varsity swimmer
- Captain of Alto Swim Club National Group
Personal:
- Daughter of Sheila Melvin and Jindong Cai and has one brother, Sebastian, who swims for Tufts
- Grew up on the Stanford University campus in the Bay Area, and lived in Beijing, China for a few years
Why Wellesley:
- Chose Wellesley because of the amazing people, supportive environment, and beautiful campus. It felt like the perfect place for me to grow as both a student and an athlete