Giving back: Berkeley teen swims for more than accomplishments

Berkeley High rising senior Maya Merhige recently achieved the Open Water Triple Crown by successfully completing the English Channel swim, but she is motivated by much more than accomplishments in the water.

At just 16 years old, Maya Merhige is already one of the most accomplished open-water swimmers in the sport.

Over the weekend, she swam the English Channel – one of the toughest open-water swims in the world – and completed the Open Water Triple Crown by swimming the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the 20 Bridges Swim in Manhattan. 

But through her accomplishments, Merhige is most proud that her skills in the water could affect real change for those fighting cancer.

Merhige has raised $100,000 through the organization Swim Across America, which helps fund cancer research by hosting charity swim events such as the swim through the English Channel.

The cause hits close to him for Merhige, who had her own health scare last year. She was hospitalized when doctors found a tumor in her pancreas. Ultimately, they determined it was not cancerous, but she gained a newfound appreciation for what cancer patients go through.

When asked what it means to help raise money for cancer research, Merhige said, “It’s the most important part of the swim for me.” 

“Being able to use something that I love to raise so much money has been incredible. I know the doctors that the money I’m raising goes to, and I know that all of the work that they’re doing is really important.”

Open-water swimming is a specific type of swim that takes place in open oceans, lakes and rivers. Much like running marathons, swimmers are tasked with swimming long distances in difficult terrain. It is one of the toughest swimming disciplines due to the stress put on the body while the swimmer’s stamina is tested. 

Merhige has been swimming ever since she was 9, but took a liking to open-water swimming because of the different challenges the sport brings. 

At 14, Merhige became the youngest woman to complete the Lake Tahoe Swimming Triple Crown, finishing the 21.5-mile swim in 13 hours. Last year, she became the youngest swimmer to finish the Kaiwi Molokai Channel, a 26-mile swim that stretches between the Hawaiian Islands of Molokai and Oahu. 

But achieving the Triple Crown of open-water swimming was never a goal of Merhige. It just so happened that she completed the other two major swims along the way.  

In 2021, she finished the 20-mile Catalina Channel swim that stretches from Catalina Island to the California mainland in 10 hours and 48 minutes. Last year, she completed the 28.5-mile 20 Bridges swim in New York City in 8 hours and 43 minutes.

Despite completing the Catalina and 20 Bridges swims at such a young age, swimming the English Channel is no easy task.

The English Channel is known for its many jellyfish and sharks that could deter swimmers. The swim also goes through the night in strong currents, making it difficult to anticipate what obstacles the water could bring. 

“For me, it’s a lot easier to swim in the dark because you can’t really think about what’s going on,” Merhige said.

But Merhige’s experience made all the difference on Saturday. She completed the swim in 11 hours and 39 minutes to capture the Triple Crown. 

Merhige is the 334th swimmer and third-youngest to ever complete the prestigious accomplishment.

“We are beyond proud of Maya and her determination and grit to swim these swims,” said Merhige’s mom Liz Tung in a statement. “We never imagined Maya, who was just nine years old when she swam her first Swim Across America – San Francisco open water swim, would find such a passion for open water swimming and take her swimming so far. Earning the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming at just 16 years old is just incredible! We are thrilled for her!”

There was a chance Merhige wouldn’t have been in this position when doctors found the tumor in her pancreas in May 2023. For 10 days, she was unable to leave the hospital and had to take a break from training.

But through that time she found a deeper understanding of what she has been swimming for her whole life. 

“I think that being in hospital over the past year has made me more aware of what the experience is like,” Merhige said. “My experience was very different from the experience that a cancer patient has. But just being a kid in the hospital, I understand it a lot more now. In the past couple of years, I’ve had a lot of people close to me deal with cancer, so I just understand it better.”

Her newfound perspective has impacted her family as well. Merhige’s dad, Chris Merhige, said he now has a deeper gratitude for the local doctors in Berkeley who helped treat his daughter. 

“UCSF and the amazing work they’re doing, they have such a presence for me,” he said. “We see it every day when we drive by Highway 24. We have many friends that have unfortunately been treated there. To help Maya represent the area and help contribute to the amazing work that UCSF is doing is a really meaningful experience.”

A rising senior at Berkeley High, Maya isn’t set on whether she wants to swim professionally. But she plans to continue to be involved in the sport and hopefully be someone younger swimmers could look up to.

“It’s been really exciting for me and fun,” Merhige said. “I think that it’s also opened the doors for a lot of other younger open-water swimmers to really see that there’s a lot that they can do. A lot of open-water swimming isn’t accessible for the younger swimmers, but just being able to show them these things are not necessarily just for adults and that if you want to do it you can. That has been really exciting for me.”