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Five-time Pennsylvania YMCA State Champion Anna Kirby has announced her commitment to swim for Marist University beginning in the fall of 2025. Kirby competes for Stroudsburg High School and swims year-round for Pocono Family YMCA. She specializes in sprint freestyle and backstroke events.
Kirby made the commitment announcement on Instagram:
I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to study and swim at Marist College!! I am so grateful for my family’s constant support, as well as my teammates and friends. I want thank all my coaches over the years for always pushing me to do my best! Finally, thank you to Coach Randall and Coach Abby for welcoming me into the Marist swim family!! Go Red Foxes!!
Expanding on her decision, Kirby told SwimSwam:
I was always unsure where I would end up, but both my High School coach-BJ Conklyn and YMCA Piranhas coach-Mike Wolbert gave me the confidence to look towards a Division I program, and I’m so thankful for them and all the coaches I’ve had over the years.
As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I knew I wanted Marist to be my home for 4 years. I loved everything that the school has to offer. Marist is known for their exceptional study abroad programs which will be great for my Spanish major. I’d like to mention Coach Randall, Coach Abby and the entire swim team. They were so welcoming and made me feel at home every time I visited and talked with them.
Kirby holds four school records at Stroudsburg High School: the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, and 100 fly. She is also recognized as the #2 all-time swimmer in the school’s history. Before committing fully to swimming, she played two years of high school field hockey before shifting her focus to training year-round in the pool.
At the PIAA 3A District XI Championships this past March, Kirby made history at the 2025 District meet by becoming the first female swimmer from Stroudsburg to win two gold medals in the same year, taking 1st in both the 50 and 100 free. Her best times of 23.65 in the 50 free and 52.25 in the 100 free both came from that meet.
Kirby also competed at the PIAA 3A State Championships later in the month. There, she became the first female swimmer from Stroudsburg to score in two individual events at the state meet, touching 10th in the 50 free and 15th in the 100 free.
At the YMCA Pennsylvania State Championships a few weeks later, she won the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 back. Her best time of 57.76 in the 100 back was logged at that competition.
Kirby capped off her senior year by qualifying for the YMCA National Championships for the third consecutive year. She competed in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, and 400 medley relay, with her highest finish coming in the 50 free, where she secured 16th.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.65
- 100 Freestyle: 52.25
- 100 Backstroke: 57.76
- 200 Backstroke: 2:07.92
- 100 Butterfly: 59.72
Marist College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, finished 3rd as a team at the 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships.
Kirby projects to be an immediate contributor for the Red Foxes. Her personal-best time in the 50 free (23.65) would have placed her 7th overall in last season’s MAAC ‘A’ final. In the 100 back, her lifetime best of 57.76 would have situated her 11th after prelims, putting her in the upper half of the ‘B’ final. A similar scenario plays out in the 100 free, where she would have also ranked 11th after prelims, just shy of the 52.00 needed to qualify for the championship heat. For reference, it took 57.24 to make the 100 back ‘A’ final.
Within Marist’s current depth chart, Kirby would have ranked 2nd in both sprint freestyle events and 3rd in the 100 back. Graduate student and Iceland native Eydis Ósk Kolbeinsdóttir led the team last season with 23.46 and 51.33 in the 50 and 100 free, respectively—times that earned her silver and bronze at MAACs. With Kolbeinsdóttir graduating, Kirby is poised to step in as Marist’s top sprint freestyler.
In the backstroke, junior Genevieve O’Neill was the team’s leader last season with a 57.00 for 6th at MAACs, while fellow junior Lauren Castellani followed closely behind with a 57.34 from winning the ‘B’ final. Kirby’s best time would have placed her right behind both, making her a key depth addition there.
With her commitment, Kirby joins an incoming class that includes Ellie De Keukelaere, Gwen Serafin, Kennedy Wheeler, Elie Kauffman, and Ashley Connor.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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