Freestyle & Butterfly Talent Gioia Balzano Commits To Michigan For 2026-27

The Miami, Florida native is currently a senior at Miami Beach Senior High School, where she transferred this August after completing her first three years of studies at G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School. Balzano also trains year-round with Eagle Aquatics in Miami Shores and specializes primarily in sprint freestyle and butterfly.

At November’s Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 3A State meet, Balzano won both the 200 free (1:46.11) and 100 fly (54.21), chopping 2.19 seconds off her previous best in the former and 0.77 off in the latter. She also helped Miami Beach to runner-up finishes in both the 200 medley and 400 free relays, where she provided a fly split of 24.62 and lead-off leg of 51.02. The performances marked her best showing at the meet to date. She’s gone eight for eight in ‘A’ final appearances through her four-year tenure, with her previous best finish being third in the 100 free as a freshman.

Most recently, at last month’s FG PST 35th Annual Winter Championship, Balzano racked up wins and lifetime bests across both primary and off events. She won the 200 free (1:47.53), 500 free (4:53.14), 200 back (1:58.74), and 200 fly (1:58.38), and finished runner-up in the 50 fly (24.52) and 100 fly (53.83). All were personal bests except the 200 free. Her current 50 and 100 free best times stem from March 2023.

Top SCY Times:

• 50 Freestyle: 23.31
• 100 Freestyle: 49.89
• 200 Freestyle: 1:46.11
• 100 Butterfly: 53.83
• 200 Butterfly: 1:58.38

Michigan had another successful season of improvement in head coach Matt Bowe and staff’s second season at the helm. The Wolverines finished third at the Big Ten Championships, then cracked the top 10 at NCAAs, finishing ninth with a score of 196, nearly 50 points ahead of their 2024 score (147.5).

Balzano has options for the conference meet, where her personal bests in the 200 free and 200 fly would have placed her in the ‘B’ finals in 2025. She’s also not far off scoring range in both the 100 free and 100 fly, where times of 49.60 and 53.45 were needed to qualify for the ‘C’ finals.

Michigan was elite in the free relays last year, finishing in the top five in all three events, and Balzano’s potential development will be valuable as most of their top stars will be seniors next fall. That relay depth stems from Michigan’s track record of developing sprint and mid-distance freestylers, most notably with Stephanie Balduccini (21.97/46.98/1:40.89), Brady Kendall (21.34/48.20), Lexi Greenhawt (21.53/47.40), and Leila Fawk (22.40/47.78), along with recent transfer Bella Sims (21.88/46.53/1:40.78). In fly, Kendall is the team’s best sprinter with a best of 50.98, while Hannah Bellard is the team’s best all-around flyer who owns times of 51.40 and 1:51.89. Balzano will overlap at least one year with all of them except Kendall, who graduates this May, providing her strong training partners as she transitions to collegiate swimming.