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New Jersey native Sarah Rodrigues, an ‘Honorable Mention’ in our class of 2025 rankings, will trade in her proximity to the Big City for the big hats of Texas, as she has announced on Instagram her verbal commitment to swim for the University of Texas in the fall of 2025.
I could not be more excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at the University of Texas! I want to thank all of my family, friends, teammates, and coaches who helped me achieve this goal. A HUGE thank you to @texaswsd for granting me this opportunity. HOOK’EM HORNS🤘🧡
Representing her high school, Wayne Valley, at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions this past March, Rodrigues made an appearance atop the podium in both of her events. In the 200 free, Rodrigues swam a personal best of 1:47.68 in the prelims to qualify into the final first. While she ultimately touched second in the final, she improved her time by taking the silver in 1:47.15. In the 100 back, she again qualified first into the finals with a new personal best of 52.54. She was just .05 slower in finals but remained in the lead, claiming the top spot on the podium in a time of 52.59.
Rodrigues is no stranger to the podium as she placed within the top 8 in multiple events earlier in the winter at the 2023 Winter Juniors Championship-East meet. in the 100 back she claimed 7th place in a time of 53.60, after having set a then PB in prelims of 53.26. In the 200 back, she climbed to the fourth step of the podium, swimming a time of 1:54.81.
She has not limited herself to success in just the yards pool, though. In one of the deepest events domestically for the US Women, Rodrigues earned a second swim at the 2024 US Olympic Trials this past summer as she swam a 2:11.37 in the prelims of the 200 back, ultimately placing 14th in a personal best time of 2:11.04.
More recently at the end of July, at the Richmond edition of the Futures Championships, Rodrigues won the 200 back (2:11.74) as well as the 100 fly in a new PB of 1:00.40). She also set new PBs in the 200 fly (2:20.43) as well as in the 100 free (57.89) and 100 back (1:01.64) placing 2nd in the latter of the events.
Best Yards Times
- 200 Free – 1:47.15
- 100 Back – 52.54
- 200 Back – 1:52.84
- 100 Fly – 54.21
- 200 Fly – 2:00.67
Rodrigues, in a year’s time, will be joining a Texas program that would have just completed its first year in the SECs and will be looking to equal or better its string of three runner-up finishes at the NCAAs.
At the 2024 Big 12 Champs, Texas, in its last year in the conference, won the meet by nearly 1000 points, amassing a score of 2148 to Houston’s 1266.5. In the 100 back, Texas went 1-2-3 behind freshman Berit Berglund‘s 51.72. In the 200, it was her teammate Olivia Bray, a senior, who took the win in a time of 1:53.01.
In the 100 fly Texas went 1-2-3, with Emma Sticklen and Olivia Bray taking the top two spots in 50.61 and 50.80, whereas in the 200, it was Kelly Pash who claimed victory in a time of 1:51.68, just ahead of Sticklen’s 1:51.68.
Looking at Big 12 times doesn’t paint the greatest picture for Rodrigues’s potential success for Texas, but at the 2024 SEC’s her best in the 100 back (52.54) would have tied for 9th in prelims, while her 200 best of 1:52.84 would have been 4th out of prelims and 5th in the A-Final. While neither of her fly times would have made the top 24, her 200 free best of 1:47.15 would have just squeaked into the C-Final in 24th.
While Rodrigues still has a year to improve, she already has personal bests that are capable of not only making the finals at SECs, based on last year’s times, but also to qualify her for the NCAA Championships. Her 200 back time of 1:52.84 would have ranked 16th heading into the NCAAs last year, and would have placed 21st overall.
Rodrigues fits the strong Texas stereotypical swimmer, a strong cross-over between the backstroke and butterfly events, similar to returning fifth-year Bray.
Joining Rodrigues in Austin next fall are #5 Haley McDonald, BOTR Avery Collins, and Ella Mongenel. McDonald is also a strong 200 backstroker and, with Rodrigues, could prove to be a formidable force for Texas at both SECs and NCAAs.
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