Michael Brinegar

Michael Brinegar (born September 15, 1999) is an American swimmer specializing in distance freestyle and open water swimming who swam for Indiana University and competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 800 and 1500-meter freestyle events. His mother Jennifer was a competitive distance freestyler who would swim for Indiana as would Michael. Jennifer participated at the 1976 Olympics in the 200 freestyle and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Michael's mother worked as an Assistant athletic director at Indiana in Bloomington, and his father Jamie worked as a business manager for Columbus Parks and Recreation.

Beginning to swim at age 5, by 9 Michael was competing at the Donner Swim Club in Columbus, Indiana regularly, where he would soon be coached by his mother Jennifer. By 12, he had decided to focus on swimming as his only sport. Michael would attend Columbus Northside Middle School, and later Columbus North High School where he was coached by swim coach Jim Sheridan, who had been an Assistant under Hall of Fame Coach Mark Schubert. At Columbus North, he would earn High School All America honors. In March, 2012, Michael won the 200 and 500 freestyle in age group competition for 11-12 year olds at the Indiana State Championships. At Donner Swim Club, at 12 he set every club record but the 100 freestyle.

More significantly, he participated at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, winning a bronze medal anchoring the mixed 5 km team relay. Competing at Gwangju, South Korea, at 19 he nearly caught up with the German first-place finisher and the Italian second-place finisher in a photo finish.

Swimming for Indiana University Bloomington Michael attended Indiana University Bloomington, where he competed for the Indiana Hoosiers swimming and diving team under Head Coach Ray Looze beginning in the 2018–19 season. Brinegar placed sixth at the 2022 NCAA Championships in the 1,650-yard freestyle (mile). Though he placed 40th in the 500 free, Brinegar finished the meet much stronger, swimming 14:33.76 for the mile.

In 2023, he decided to train for the 2024 Paris Olympics with Hall of Fame Coach Mark Schubert as he had at age 15, and after his Freshman year at Indiana. His mother Jennifer had also moved to Mission Viejo, California, and trained with Schubert after her participation in the 1976 Olympics. Brinegar publicly disputed the reasoning of the CAS decision.