2019 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Pool Performance)
USMS Records – 94 lifetime, 18 currently held
USMS All American – 4 (28 points)
USMS All Star – 6 years
USMS Top Ten – 257 Individual
NE LMSC All Time Top 3 – 319 points
Excerpts from “2016 Top 12 World Masters Swimmers of the Year,” in April 2017 Swimming World magazine:
Uustal was first selected as a Top 12 honoree in 2011—one year after setting her first Masters backstroke world records. Since then, she has extended her swimming mastery into sprint free, fly and IM.
None of her accomplishments should come as a surprise, though, when one considers her family’s background in the sport of swimming. Uustal’s grandmother, Ruth Elizabeth Coburn, was a formidable open ocean and competitive pool swimmer, while her mother was a notable diver and swimmer in New England
Excerpts from “From the Center Lanes,” SWIMMER magazine Nov-Dec 2013:
While Uustal was growing up in Rhode Island, her grandmother, Ruth Elizabeth Coburn, was a central figure in her life and taught her to swim. Coburn was a noted open water swimmer in New England during an era when women weren’t allowed to swim; but she swam anyway by binding her breasts and swimming under a male pseudonym. She won often. ‘She more than introduced me to what it’s like to be free in and in love with the water,’ Uustal says.
Although swimming has always been her passion and something she’s excelled in, the path to world records and Top 10 times hasn’t always been easy. In 2003, Uustal was in a car accident that severely damaged her spinal cord; doctors said she might never walk or race again. Because he spine is still so damaged, ‘I balance on the razor’s edge. I race conservatively and am mindful that good stroke mechanics are key.’ A subsequent slip-and-fall in 2008 tore all three hamstrings off her leg and broke her arm and shoulder. Because of her injuries, Uustal hyper-focuses on technique rather than yardage to achieve improvements in time. And she’s had to keep her mind and spirit strong in the face of adversity. ‘I don’t give the injuries power, and I stay disciplined in my swimming. I’m grateful to be back in the water!’