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Italian sprint specialist Sara Curtis announced her commitment to join the University of Virginia this fall on Friday, fresh off a sensational performance at the Italian Championships in Riccone. There, Curtis booked her ticket to the 2025 World Aquatic Championships in historic fashion. She broke her 50-meter freestyle national record twice in one day, bringing it down to a 24.43, and took down Federica Pellegrini’s 100-meter freestyle Italian record with a 53.01.
“I’m so happy to announce my verbal commitment to continue my swimming and academic journey at the University of Virginia!⚔️I’d love to thank my family, friends and coaches for supporting me in this decision. I’m incredibly greatful for this amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to start this adventure in August! Go Hoos!🧡”
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Curtis’ performances this week cemented her as the current face of Italian women’s sprinting, but it is a reputation she has been working towards for years. She won four medals at the 2022 World Junior Championships, including silver in the 50-meter freestyle. Two years later, she earned three individual golds at the European Junior Championships, winning the 50/100 freestyle and 50 backstroke, plus three relay medals (two gold, one silver).
Curtis won her first medal at a major senior international meet in December, helping Italy to gold in the mixed 4×50-meter freestyle relay at the 2024 Short Course World Championships. She also placed sixth in the 50-meter backstroke (26.03) and seventh in the 50-meter freestyle (23.76) at the championships, swimming lifetime bests in both finals.
Best Times (LCM/SCM):
* denotes Italian record
- 50 freestyle: 24.43*/23.76
- 100 freestyle: 53.01*/52.37
- 50 backstroke: 27.90/26.03*
Curtis needed to get special clearances to swim for Virginia, as she swims for the military in Italy. But, on paper, this looks like a strong match for both Curtis and the Cavalier women. Todd DeSorbo has a well-proven track record of success with his women’s team, coaching multiple Olympians to the next level of their career. Most relevantly for Curtis, that success includes coaching Kate Douglass to an American record in the 50-meter freestyle (23.91) and sprinter Gretchen Walsh to dizzying heights over the last 12 months, including 11 world records and seven golds at the 2204 Short Course World Championships.
That success also includes coaching another Italian, Jasmine Nocentini, to a 2024 NCAA title in the 100-yard breaststroke with the second-fastest swim in history (56.09). Nocentini thrived at Virginia as the sprint free/breaststroke hybrid they’ve specialized in. She also placed third in the 50-yard freestyle (21.10) and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle (47.00) at the 2024 NCAAs.
The Virginia women recently won a fifth-straight NCAA Championship. The win closed a chapter of the dynasty they’ve built since the pandemic, as it marked the end of the Douglass-Walsh-Walsh era that defined so much of the team’s success during its five-championship streak. The Cavalier women still hold the edge ahead of the 2025-26 season, especially with names like Claire Curzan and Katie Grimes still on the roster. However, Virginia does find itself in a new “reinvention” phase as they look to maintain their advantage in the sprint events after the graduations of G. Walsh and Maxine Parker. Picking up a transfer commitment from NCAA DII record holder Bryn Greenwaldt a few weeks ago was a start, and now Curtis gives them another strong card to play.
Curtis’ primary events make her the kind of swimmer that thrives in an NCAA Championship format and while there will be an adjustment period to yards, her success in the long and short-course meter pools should translate to a huge point haul at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, she should be a factor on four of the five Virginia relays. Her arrival should give the Cavaliers the type of options they love to have for their medley relays as in addition to being able to swim back or free, her arrival gives them options for how to deploy Curzan.
Curtis will arrive on campus this fall along with Virginia’s other class of 2025 recruits, including #4 Madi Mintenko, #13 Raya Mellott, HM Sophia Umstead, BOTR Sylvia Roy, and BOTR Lily Gormsen.
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That plugs a hole in the women’s 4 x 50/100 yard freestyle relays for the University of Virginia. In addition, Sara Curtis could potentially swim the freestyle leg of the women’s 4 x 50 yard medley relay which would allow Anna Moesch to focus on the women’s 4 x 200 yard freestyle relay.
As for the fourth female swimmer in the women’s 4 x 50/100 yard freestyle relays for the University of Virginia, Madi Mintenko will need to work on her sprinting.
Can someone explain the “swims for the military” thing? How does that work?
I guess she’s already tired of long course success.
have fun doing dolphin kicks, Sara
This is such a dumb trope. UVA women have had major LCM success
who holds the women’s 100 LCM fly world record?
and who won the 200 LCM breast at the Paris Olympics?
Well homey, 5 UVA women were on our Olympic team not counting Katie Grimes, Aimee Canny and Claire Curzan (previous Olympian who missed by hundredths on 2 events). Sara makes another who made semis in the Olympics. Honestly Nocentini shoud have been another, but not sure what was going on there.
Get off my Lawn.
As a UF fan, you should be more worried about your women’s team collapsing than trying to bash UVA for having *checks notes* slightly less success in LCM than SCY.
How much is she getting paid? Do you think $100k/year plus full scholarship? What’s the current market for a swimmer that good?
If you think any swimmer is getting paid that much you’re crazy
Chris Guilliano got 100k for half a semester
Still not clear to me in what ways internationals are allowed to be paid. Gets very messy.
WTFFFFFFFF
The potential to do well in the NCAA is there. She’s got natural explosiveness and good underwaters already. She only started doing dryland exercises recently and has never had double daily sessions so far, per her Italian coach. The 24.4 50 free was her last race of a busy meet (50 back, 100 free, the relays…) and her dive was off, else we would have seen a 24.3 or lower.
Okay, that’s great, but what is her best High Jump score?
Also, stop trying to make Gretch 2.0 happen. It’s not going to happen.
In what way is she like Gretchen at all? She’s already faster than her lol
Look at the 18 deep scoring up and down. Todd is doing his sprint thing, and here we go to 6 Peat (actually should be 7 based on pychs in 2020). No, nobdoy is going to replace Gretchen, but you know Claire is pretty close and there are a lot of others who are grouped around the top. See ya next Spring and let’s talk about it!
Someone real salty having a ball with the downvote feature
Anti-Virginia folks downvoting a Wolfie is wild!
😂. You know I’m Pack 24/7 but I have nothing but respect for the UVA women’s program.
Plus I love seeing more diversity swimming fast in the sport.