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Italian swimmer Giorgio Sportaro has announced his commitment to swim for Saint Mary’s College of California beginning in the fall of 2026. He confirmed the news in an email to SwimSwam, writing:
I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career at Saint Mary’s College of California. I want to thank my family for their constant support, my coach Valerio, and my strength coaches Davide and Michele for helping me grow every day. I’m also thankful to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. Lastly, I would like to thank Coach Ellie for the opportunity to compete at Division I level. I’m ready to give my best and contribute to building something special.
Originally from Palermo, Italy, Sportaro currently swims for Tennis Club Palermo 3 and primarily specializes in sprint freestyle and butterfly.
Sportaro set all of his current short course meter best times within the past two months. He swam 49.79 and 1:50.60 in the 100 and 200 free at the 4º Trofeo Città di Pozzuoli in mid-February, before clocking 22.83 in the 50 free and 55.71 in the 100 fly a few weeks later at the Criteria Nazionali Giovanili BPER – Sezione Maschile meet.
In long course, he set all of his best times at the Finale Campionato Regionale di Categoria last July, posting marks of 23.89, 52.22, and 1:55.67 across the freestyle events.
Sportaro has been a consistent improver over the past few seasons, making roughly half-second drops in the 50 and 200 free and about a second in the 100 free, a trend that bodes well as he transitions toward collegiate swimming.
Best Times
| Event | LCM | SCM | Fastest SCY Conversion |
| 50 Freestyle | 23.89 | 22.83 | 20.56 |
| 100 Freestyle | 52.22 | 49.79 | 44.85 |
| 200 Freestyle | 1:55.67 | 1:50.60 | 1:39.63 |
| 100 Butterfly | 57.44 | 55.71 | 50.18 |
A Division I program, Saint Mary’s men’s and women’s swimming programs will make their debut in the 2026-2027 academic year alongside men’s and women’s water polo. Currently well known for basketball, the school announced the launch of the four new teams back in September of 2025.
The men’s swim team will be joining the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in the fall. Based on the results from the MPSF Championships a few weeks ago, Sportaro’s fastest converted times would have landed him in the ‘B’ final of the 100 free and 200 free and the ‘C’ final of the 50 free and 100 fly, putting him in position to score points right from the start.
Currently set to join Sportaro in the pool this fall are fellow sprint freestylers Sawyer Jones, Tobin Reed, and Olivier Petre, as well as breaststrokers Julian Tucker, Lucas Tompkins, and Ilija Sosic. Jones (20.34/44.81/1:40.67, 51.72 100 fly), Reed (20.43/44.40/1:39.82, 51.86 100 fly), and Petre (20.93/44.68/1:38.82) should help form the backbone of the team’s sprint free relays in Sportaro’s first year, with recruiting still ongoing to further bolster depth across the roster.
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