What Next: Q&A with Lauren Tininenko

For many student-athletes, when their collegiate career concludes, the question becomes what next?

For Lauren Tininenko, a swimmer from Bentonville, Ark. who graduated from UNM in 2016, as it turns out the next step still involved swimming- just 6,888 miles from Albuquerque and not in a pool. As the former sprinter discovered and continues to discover, the world held endless possibilities and opportunities, which led her to running marathons, competing in triathlons and more recently, swimming 25K from the southernmost part of China to Hainan Island, becoming the first female to ever complete the feat.

In a day and age when people compile bucket lists and say, “I wish I would have done this,” Tininenko is re-purposing her passion for swimming, using sport to see the world and to challenge herself to see what more can she achieve.

Tininenko provided an insight into her unique life since she left UNM, answering how she ended up in China, where the ideas for these extreme activities came from, what it was like to swim over 15.5 miles from China to Hainan Island and what is on the horizon.

To view the feature, click HERE.