Alumna Morgan Stickney (’23) blew the competition out of the water at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Winning gold in the 400-meter freestyle S7, Stickney not only medaled, but broke the Paralympic record for that race by 2.86 seconds. She also won the silver medal for the 100-meter freestyle S7, which was live streamed in the Chase Gymnasium on Biola’s campus on Wednesday, Sept. 4 for students, staff and faculty to watch after the Fall Convocation chapel.

“I’m really proud to bring home a medal for team USA,” said Stickney in an interview with NBC after her silver medal race.

Stickney performed remarkably well in the 2024 Paralympic trials in June, setting a new world record for the 400m freestyle, making the Biola community excited to watch her in the Paralympics again. Stickney won two Paralympic gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and 4x100-meter medley relay for the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Stickney has had to overcome very difficult challenges with her health, and is still actively receiving treatment for her condition. She began at Biola in 2016 when she was ranked as a top-20 American freestyle swimmer and swam on Biola’s swim team as a freshman. Soon after, pain from a previously broken sesamoid bone in her left big toe quickly worsened leaving her unable to compete or swim. In 2017, she developed a staph infection in her foot and the then-20-year-old made the difficult decision to amputate her foot. More infections and a cardiovascular condition that blocked blood flow to her lower legs led to her becoming a bilateral amputee.

“Morgan worked hard to navigate life — and the pool — without both her lower legs. Having had to move on from her dream of Olympic competition, she reset her sights now on another world stage, the Paralympics. Twenty-one surgeries and four amputations later, Morgan is still battling this disease. Her courage, perseverance and deep faith in God have helped her persevere, compete, and even complete her Biola degree,” said Dr. Barry H. Corey, President of Biola, at her commencement ceremony where she received a bachelor of science in applied psychology last year.

More can be read about Stickney on her Team USA profile.

Written by Sarah Dougher, media relations specialist. For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.