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Ella Gotham, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, has committed to swim and study at Liberty University, beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. She trains year-round with The Bolles School Sharks, where she also completes her high school studies.
Gotham confirmed the commitment in an email to SwimSwam, and provided the following quote:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Liberty University. I have been blessed by God, my family, an incredible coaching staff, teammates, and friends. Thank you Coach Jake & Jess for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity! Go Flames! Seek first his kingdom, and all your needs will be met, and you will experience true fulfillment and joy. Matthew 6:33.
The future Eagle is a versatile middle-distance specialist, excelling in the 100–500 freestyle events, as well as the 100 fly, 200 IM, and backstrokes.
She qualified and competed at the Winter Junior Championships – East this past December, where she swam the 200 free, 200 IM, and 200 back. Her highest finish came in the 200 free, where she logged a new personal best of 1:50.48 for 43rd. She also clocked 2:04.03 in the 200 back (54th) and 2:01.63 in the 200 IM (58th). In relay events, she split 50.96 on the 11th-place 400 free relay and recorded a 1:50.47 split on the 800 free relay that took sixth.
Gotham wrapped up her short course season at the GA ASL Southeastern Meet of Champions in early March, where she clocked a plethora of lifetime bests.
The 17-year-old’s top finish came in the 200 IM, where she snagged silver in 2:03.09—the only event where she didn’t hit a career best. She went 52.02 in the 100 free for eighth, 56.34 in the 100 back for fifth, and 2:00.65 in the 200 back for fourth. She also hit the wall at 56.35 in the 100 fly for 10th and put up a solid 10:23.71 in the 1000 free for seventh.
Gotham was strong in relays too, splitting 24.42 on the fifth-place 200 free relay and leading off the third-place 400 free relay with her first-ever sub-52 swim of 51.68. She also led off the fifth-place 200 medley relay in 27.41 and opened the bronze medal-winning 400 medley relay in 56.69.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Freestyle: 51.68
- 200 Freestyle: 1:50.13
- 500 Freestyle: 4:56.93
- 100 Backstroke: 56.34
- 200 Backstroke: 2:00.65
- 100 Butterfly: 56.35
- 200 IM: 2:02.36
- 400 IM: 4:23.63
Liberty is a Division I mid-major private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, with over 135,000 students—115,000 of which are enrolled in online programs and about 16,000 on campus.
Under the direction of Liberty’s first and only head coach Jake Shellenberger, the Flames decisively won the 2025 Atlantic Sun Championship (ASUN) title by 168.5 points.
The conference meet scores ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals, and Gotham’s bests in the 200 free, 500 free, 200 IM, and 400 IM would have made the championship heat last season. Her 500 free time would have placed her fourth after prelims, while her 400 IM, 200 free, and 200 IM would have earned fifth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.
Gotham’s backstroke times would have landed her in the ‘B’ final at tenth in both races, while her 100 fly would have been 13th. Her 100 free personal best falls just short of finals qualification, sitting at 18th after prelims.
According to the team’s 2024-25 depth chart, Gotham’s lifetime bests would have ranked her second in the 400 IM, third in the 100 fly, fourth in the 200 back, 200 IM, and 500 free, fifth in the 100 back, sixth in the 200 free, and eighth in the 100 free.
Gotham joins Cami Schwartz and Grace Descent in publicly committing to swim in Liberty’s class of 2030.
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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