Two-time Israel Olympian Anastasia Gorbenko has enrolled at the University of Louisville and will be eligible to compete for the Cardinals in the spring of 2026, according to multiple sources.
Gorbenko, 21, is reportedly beginning school in Louisville for the second semester of the 2024-25 season beginning this month, and will be required to have one year of enrollment under her belt before she’s eligible to compete in the NCAA.
If all goes according to plan, that would make her eligible to represent the Cardinals beginning in the second semester of the 2025-26 campaign, just in time for the conference and national championship meets next season.
Gorbenko would be joining fellow Israeli Olympian Daria Golovati on the women’s team next season, with Golovati currently in her freshman year with Louisville, while another member of the Israeli Olympic team, Denis Loktev, is in the midst of his fourth year with the Cardinals.
Gorbenko brings a decorated international resume to Louisville, having won a pair of short course world titles in 2021 in the women’s 50 breast and 100 IM to go along with claiming a silver medal in the 400 IM at the 2024 Worlds and winning a total of seven European Championship titles.
After she was a finalist in the 100 back at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Gorbenko finished 9th in the 200 IM, 10th in the 400 IM and 16th in the 200 back at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She was also 7th in the prelims of the 100 breast before scratching the semis, and led off the Israeli women’s 11th-place finishing 4×200 free relay, putting her versatility on full display.
One month prior to the Paris Games, she won four gold medals at the 2024 European Championships in Belgrade, including a sweep in the women’s 200 and 400 IM.
Every medley specialist is inherently versatile, but not all of them have high-end ability across multiple strokes like Gorbenko, who figures to make an impact individually in back and breast, and contribute to the free relays, in addition to what she can do in the 200 and 400 IM.
GORBENKO’S BEST TIMES
| Event | LCM | SCM |
SCY Conversion*
|
| 50 free | 25.03 | 24.53 | 21.82 |
| 100 free | 54.29 | 52.36 | 47.46 |
| 200 free | 1:56.74 | 1:56.21 | 1:42.28 |
| 400 (500) free | 4:17.87 | 4:12.88 | 4:48.92 |
| 50 back | 27.87 | 26.63 | 24.56 |
| 100 back | 59.30 | 57.45 | 52.34 |
| 200 back | 2:08.54 | 2:04.40 | 1:53.63 |
| 50 breast | 30.45 | 29.34 | 26.53 |
| 100 breast | 1:06.15 | 1:04.44 | 57.79 |
| 200 breast | 2:25.20 | 2:19.22 | 2:07.20 |
| 50 fly | 26.54 | 27.90 | 23.27 |
| 100 fly | 58.23 | 58.34 | 51.19 |
| 200 IM | 2:08.55 | 2:05.04 | 1:52.92 |
| 400 IM | 4:34.87 | 4:32.67 | 4:01.86 |
*Conversions from LCM times
Although Gorbenko has competed as a professional in the International Swimming League (ISL), representing the LA Current in all three seasons of the now-defunct league from 2019 until 2021, the NCAA is reportedly going to allow athletes who participated in the ISL to compete collegiately, according to Israeli outlet Shvoong—provided they fulfill the one-year enrollment period before being eligible to compete.
Tom Rushton, who has spent time working with Gorbenko and Israel’s other top swimmers in the past, was notably recruited to join Kenyon College by current Louisville head coach Arthur Albiero in the late 1990s. Rushton went on to become an 18-time All-American at Kenyon between 1998 and 2001.
Lol before this new rule about being enrolled a year before competing, it was starting to feel like all these older, foreign athletes were treating the ncaa as their semester/year abroad. And why not? It’s paid for and they can train in a new environment for a season or two.
Yes, people are yelling “it’s not fair!” But guess what? America has shown over and over again that life truly isn’t fair. And college swimming is no exception. Clearly, winning is more important than fairness, now more than ever before.
Nesty calling Arckey right now to offer him a spot on staff if he brings Summer.
lol isnt that kinda what todd did w gary?
Looking at Cal vs USC on meet mobile, Mewen Tomac just debut for Cal in the 200 medley relay, splitting 21.4 in the open leg.
I’m there rn and he was cooking, whoever’s idea it is though to put the thousand after the 2 medley is an idiot.
And Lucas Henveaux is also on the roster on Meet Mobile.
Also, showing up on Louisville’s roster for spring 2025 is Leticia Fassina Romao from Brazil and Ethan Chauliaguet from France
Both potential scoring times at conference and potentially NCAAs
At least this shows a level of commitment to school by making it a year before she is eligible. With others it’s potentially coming in for one semester on a rental if the price is right
“the NCAA is reportedly going to allow athletes who participated in the ISL to compete collegiately“
I put this sentence into google translate and it came back as “Summer McIntosh to SMU”.
omg at this point who *isnt* joining the ncaa?
siobhan already telegraphed taking a break but given shes longtime training partners w anastasia i imagine this move also signals siobhan may be planning to retire or take an even longer than anticipated break? at the very least feel like its unlikely well see siobhan in singapore this summer…
All these people are allowed to swim, but they won’t let Regan swim in college again