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National Team Success
• Swam for Estonia in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes
• Placed sixth in the 100 individual medley and 10th in the 200 IM at the 2005 Short Course European Championships in Trieste, Italy
• Is a five-time Estonia national champion in the 200 IM
Cal Success
• Earned All-America honors by placing sixth (1:56.14) in the 200-yard breaststroke and eighth (53.37 final, 53.18 prelim) in the 100 breaststroke in the 2008 NCAA Championships
• Swam on Cal's 10th-place 800-freestyle relay (6:26.06), took 13th (1:45.80/final, 1:45.27/prelim) in the 200 IM at the 2008 NCAAs
• Anchored the 800-free relay that set Cal's eighth-fastest time ever (6:25.89) with a third-place finish at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships
• Third (1:46.11) in the 200 IM, fifth (1:56.89) in the 200 breaststroke and seventh (48.72 final, 48.25 prelim) in the 100 back in the 2008 Pac-10 Championships
Personal
• Parents are Kaja and Riho Aljand; sister, Triin, swam for Estonia in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and is currently a senior All-American swimmer at Texas A&M; another sister, Triin's twin Berit, is a senior swimmer at LSU
• Undeclared major
• Born Nov. 22, 1987, in Tallinn, Estonia
Why did you decide to go study in the United States?
My decision to come and study in the U.S. was influenced by my family and my swimming career. I have two older sisters who both study and swim in the U.S., and they only had positive things to say. I was eager to break out of the nest and experience something different to what I am used to.
Why Cal?
Berkeley is a highly respected academic institution with a world-class swim team.
Was it hard to adjust? In what ways is Berkeley most different from your home?
It was a big change for me, but I feel it was necessary for me to grow up and get out of my comfort zone. Doing everything in another language is the biggest difference compared to back home.
Name a favorite thing at Cal that you can't find at home.
The variety of friends with different cultural backgrounds.
Name a thing you miss the most.
My family.
What do you think makes Cal unique and distinct from any other school?
There is always something going on at Cal; the options are limitless.
How is training at Cal different from how it was back home?
More intense; we practice 100 percent every day.
What is your favorite memory from your time at Cal?
The challenges we overcome together to become the best swim team in the nation.
