The 1-Mile Swim Open Recap

In the 1-Mile Swim, held July 23–29, donors and recipients competed to see who could complete a 1-mile swim (1,500 meters or 1,650 yards) the fastest.

This year’s event was our fastest to date. All four divisions posted the quickest times in the four-year history of the Donor Games 1-Mile Swim, and both the male and female event records were broken. It is a fitting end to our best Donor Games season yet!

Donor: Women

There was no shortage of star power in the women’s donor division. After setting the event record in last year’s 1-Mile Swim, Hayley Martin had big shoes to fill—her own. The former University of Nebraska swimmer answered the call, topping her own record with a staggering 19:31 for first place. Former University of Texas diver Sofia Rauzi wasn’t far behind, clocking in a phenomenal 21:59 for second place. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Crissy Perham took third, slicing nearly a minute off her time from last year with 24:13. Donor Games standout Courtney Cox took home fourth place, showing off her impressive versatility. Courtney ends 2026 in a tie with Mimi Mahon atop the Season Leaderboard. Jacqueline Rutherford’s strong 27:21 closed out the top five.

Donor: Men

The men’s donor division had a wild finish, with multiple last-minute changes that left the leaderboard reshuffled with each new attempt. New Zealander David Bodger was in first place for most of the competition with a scorching 25:21. He dodged a bullet when Brandon Cullen came in just behind him at 25:54 but was not so lucky when former Army swimmer Jon Sullenberger posted a commanding 25:14, edging out David by 7 seconds. Jon seemed to be in the clear, but a last-second submission from newcomer James Buckley dashed his hopes. Despite his goggles breaking halfway through the swim, James powered through to a gutsy 23:44, locking down first place. The division saw inspiring submissions from Jon, David, Paul Savuto, Robert Hiller, and Garet Hil—all five landed in the top 8 at age 59 or older.

Recipient: Women

After posting a formidable 21:03, Abbey Beckman looked on her way to winning the 1-Mile Swim for the third consecutive year. That was until first-time participant and Cal State East Bay swimmer Miya French swooped in with a blistering time. Miya’s 20:16, the second-fastest time of the entire competition, put her at the top of the leaderboard. Sydney McGuire’s well-paced 28:57 landed her in third place. Melissa Nelson, the first-ever pancreas transplant recipient to compete in the Donor Games, finished in fourth place with a time of 36:34. Donor Games fixture Danielle Fiorito rounded out the top five.

Recipient: Men

Continuing the trend of newcomers taking the top spot, Matt Langley snatched first place with a commanding 21:00. Matt, a fellow Nebraska swim alum, swam alongside top female finisher Hayley Martin, and both set new event records. Last year’s 1-Mile Swim winner Leo Draham settled for second place this year with a strong 26:47. Donor Games veterans Scott Claybrook and Andrés Falco took home third and fourth place, respectively. Stuart Laswell continued his impressive rookie campaign, finishing in fifth place.

Congratulations to all the participating athletes for their incredible workouts. Check out the finalized 2026 Season Leaderboard, updated to include points from the 1-Mile Swim.

Final Leaderboard

Living Donor: Men
Rank	Participant	Age	State	Time	Video
1	James Buckley	35	RI	23:44
2	Jon Sullenberger	64	WA	25:14
3	David Bodger	59	NZ	25:21
4	Brandon Cullen	27	NY	25:54
5	Paul Savuto	68	MA	26:16
6	Eric Walano	33	NJ	27:05
7	Robert Hiller	74	OH	27:43
8	Garet Hil	63	CT	30:09
9	Zachary Sutton	46	SC	31:47
10	Daniel Felts	34	OR	35:52
11	Blair Casey	40	TX	37:00
12	Hunter Lydon	35	NY	40:13
13	Adam Cozzette	36	CA	41:38
14	Justin King	48	AL	45:56
15	Mike Ramsey	53	WI	1:00:00*
	Kyle Bergeron	31	FL
	Cornelius Bornman	49	MI
	Sean Brady	52	IN
	Will Chiu	38	CAN
	Jacob Daulton	25	MN
	Jason Elmore	45	TX
	Martin Glusker	27	DC
	Kevin Kilkenny	57	NY
	Claus Krukenberg	38	PA
	Kyle Roeder	41	NJ
	Matthew Ronin	48	OK
	Jody Wilkins	54	OR

Living Donor: Women
Rank	Participant	Age	State	Time	Video
1	Hayley Martin	35	TX	19:31
2	Sofia Rauzi	29	TX	21:59
3	Crissy Perham	56	TX	24:13
4	Courtney Cox	42	MO	25:34
5	Jacqueline Rutherford	39	OR	26:47
6	Elaine Vigneault	50	NV	27:18
7	Rowan Bienes-Allen	28	NJ	28:35
8	Mimi Mahon	38	OH	29:35
9	Janet Walker	42	NY	40:32
10	Andrea Alejandro	46	TX	41:52
11	Shannon Catalano	48	TX	42:02
12	Megan Linch	48	PA	44:35
13	Kara Cain Smock	35	NC	59:12
14	McKenzie Winland	36	OH	1:00:00*
15	Laurie McKenzie	54	WA	1:00:00*
16	Sandy Adams	56	WI	1:00:00*
	Nicole Birkett-Brunkhorst	41	MO
	Kelly Cavin	42	NJ
	Nicole Cheslock	53	CA
	Lisa Chura	62	OH
	Mindy Davidson	66	NY
	Sarah Hawkins	43	CA
	Roni Hays	29	TN
	Britta Kolodziej	40	MN
	Anna Lewis	43	CA
	Emmy Probasco	46	MD
	Diane Tapis	67	RI
	Radley West	54	SC
	Trinia Westcott	51	OK

Transplant Recipient: Men
Rank	Participant	Age	State	Time	Video
1	Matt Langley	56	TX	21:00
2	Leo Draham	37	PA	26:47
3	Scott Claybrook	44	AL	29:23
4	Andrés Falco	35	SPAIN	31:16
5	Stuart Laswell	43	PA	34:32
6	Chris Velez	26	NY	48:12
	Wilson Du	44	CA
	Codiee Lofquist	40	MI
	Barney Nelson	47	UT

Transplant Recipient: Women
Rank	Participant	Age	State	Time	Video
1	Miya French	22	CA	20:16
2	Abbey Beckman	37	IN	21:03
3	Sydney McGuire	26	OK	28:57
4	Melissa Nelson	41	IA	36:34
5	Danielle Fiorito	28	NC	44:23
6	Samantha Hil	30	CT	1:00:00*
	Merrill Walker	70	CO