Oberlin College Athletics

Mike Heithaus, Class of 1995, is one of the most decorated swimmers in Yeomen history, won four varsity letters from 1992 to 1995. He gained national recognition in his first year at Oberlin when he earned the first of his 15 NCAA All-American awards. As a sophomore, Heithaus won the NCAA Division III championship in the 400-yard individual medley, a feat which he repeated his junior and senior seasons. For his efforts, the conference honored Heithaus as the NCAC Swimmer of the Year in 1995. His accomplishments in the classroom led to membership on the NCAC All-Academic team and the GTE Academic All-American squad in 1994. Graduating with a 3.80 grade point average and a biology degree, Heithaus received a prestigious Mellon Grant in Environmental Research.

After graduating from Oberlin in 1995, Heithaus earned his doctorate from Simon Fraser University. In partnership with the National Geographic Society, the former Oberlin athlete began studying sharks, sea turtle, and other aquatic life with a special animal-mounted video camera. The partnership was so successful that National Geographic asked Heithaus to host his own television show, Crittercam, which landed him a guest appearance on The Tonight Show in 2004. Heithaus is currently an Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at Florida International University, and he still holds seven Oberlin school records for his efforts in the pool.