A winner of two individual National Championships and seven relay national titles, Lara Jackson came to Arizona from El Paso, Texas and built a career as one of the most proficient sprinters in Arizona swimming history. In 2007, she was a part of the 200 Medley Relay National Championship team as well as the 200 Free Relay National Championship team. The following year, Laura took home Arizona’s first individual national championship title of the 2008 NCAA meet when she touched first in the 50 Free with a time of 21.69, the third fastest in Arizona history. She also secured 2008 National Championship titles as a member of the 200 Medley Relay team as well as the 200 Free and 400 Free Relay teams. That December, Lara set a new American, NCAA, Pac-10 and school record in the Women’s 50 Free. In the same day, she broke the Arizona school record in the 100 butterfly. That month, Lara was named to the 2008-09 U.S. National Team as well as Pac-10 Swimmer of the Month.
In 2009, Lara earned her second National Championship in the 50 Free and was a part of the 400 Medley Relay National Championship and 200 Free Relay National Championship teams, all during the same session. She still holds the Arizona record in the 50 free, which she set during the lead-off leg of the 200 Free Relay, with a time of 21.27. The time remains one of the top times in the NCAA nearly a decade after the swim.
A 14-time All-American, Lara received the Ruby Award, given to Arizona Athletics’ outstanding female senior, in 2009.
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