Emily McClellan was born June 21, 1992, to parents June and Thomas McClellan in Delavan, WI. At Delavan-Darien HS, McClellan stayed busy, competing in softball and basketball in addition to swimming.
She earned honorable mention all-state status as a sophomore, and was all-state her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she won the 100 breaststroke (earning All-American status) and placed third in the 200 IM at the Wisconsin high school championships.
McClellan didn’t travel far for college, as she chose to swim for the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. She boasted senior national cuts in the 100 and 200 breaststroke before heading to school.College Swimming:McClellan made history her freshman year as the first UWM swimmer and first Horizon League female swimmer to qualify for NCAAs.
Get ready for this: McClellan broke three Horizon League record five times, three school records five different times, three freshman marks five times and two Klotsche Natatorium (home pool of UWM) records four times. She competed in the 100 and 200 breast and 200 IM at NCAAs. She placed 54th in the IM (2:03.14), tied for 35th in the 100 breast (1:01.85), and finished with a time of 2:15.30 in the 200 breast for 48th.