Six time U.S. National team member Isabelle Stadden has made the move to Charlottesville, Virginia to train with Todd DeSorbo‘s pro group at the University of Virginia.
Stadden appeared in a TikTok posted by UVA pro Gretchen Walsh earlier this week, lifting weights and practicing with Walsh, her sister Alex Walsh, and Kate Douglass. She confirmed to SwimSwam today that she moved to Charlottesville full time in December as she approaches her new career as a professional athlete.
She spent the last five years at the University of California, where she started her collegiate career as a freshman during the pandemic in 2020. At her first NCAA Championships, she qualified for the ‘A’ final in the 100 and 200 backstroke, finishing 5th in the 100 back (50.87) and 3rd in the 200 back (1:49.66).
From there, she continued to be a staple in the backstroke events for Cal. In 2022, she finished 7th in the 100 (50.81) and 4th in the 200 (1:49.45).
After her sophomore season, Stadden explored other options for training following the abuse allegations about head coach Teri McKeever, who ended up leaving the program, but she decided to stay at Cal. In 2023, she won her first individual medal, finishing 3rd in the 200 back (1:49.38) and 6th in the 100 back (51.03) after setting a personal best 50.73 in the prelims.
In 2024, she earned the highest finish of her collegiate career, finishing 2nd in the 100 back (50.47) and 5th in the 200 back (1:49.19). Stadden also took her 5th year at Cal for the 2024-25 season, finishing 10th in the 100 back (50.33) and 8th in the 200 back (1:51.41) at NCAAs before she graduated in May.
Stadden made the United States National Team for the 18-19, 19-20, 20-21, 21-22, 22-23 and 23-24 seasons, but has missed the team the last two seasons.
She told SwimSwam on Saturday that following Nationals, she took a few months off to “enjoy life and take a break from swimming after graduating college.”
She said that she “spent a lot of time thinking about whether I wanted to continue my swimming career or retire,” and that she ultimately decided that she wanted to continue swimming. “I didn’t feel done, hadn’t reached my highest potential, and I wanted to give it another try.”
After making that decision, Stadden decided that she needed a new environment to rejuvenate her career while training with people of a similar age with similar goals.
The UVA pro group boasts three of the best swimmers in the world with World Record holders Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass along with World and Olympic medalist Alex Walsh. Alex and Stadden were both members of the class of 2020 with Walsh ranking 2nd in the SwimSwam rankings out of high school and Stadden ranking 5th.
Stadden told us that UVA was her ideal program, and after speaking to Todd DeSorbo, the head coach of Virginia, and after spending a few months training at home in Minnesota, she made the move to Charlottesville in the first week of December.
UVA Senior Associate Head Coach Tyler Fenwick said Isabelle “has been a pleasure to work with thus far. We’re thrilled to have her at Virginia.”
Stadden said that the program has been very welcoming, and that she has “enjoyed regaining some freshman-like energy,” and that “taking a chance on a big change has already benefited both my swimming and my mentality.”
The Pan Pacs roster for 2026 has already been decided, but Stadden has a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke from the 2021 SC World Championships, and with the addition of a SC selection meet in the United States for the 2026 SC Worlds team, Stadden has the opportunity to earn a spot on the Worlds team for December.
Interestingly kinda helps UVA training groups fill the branches in women’s 200 backstroke, where really only Curzan and Howley are representing. She could benefit from Aikins in a Ledecky/Finke kind of way.
Great news. Cal to UVA. Might this be the start of a trend? ;-0
Excited to see what she can do!
What are her best LCM times?
I think she was 59 low and 2:06-2:07.
67!
67 needs to disappear from swimswam
Good luck to her! I have to fear that her day is past, however, unless UVA works a miracle on her. There are too many rising stars at this point to be confident in her success.
Change of environment, team, coach, and outlook can work magic, particularly if Stadden is coming off a break.
Agreed. She may do well under Todd but backstroke is just too loaded in the USA to have any confidence in her competing for those senior team slots.
I can’t see her making the Olympic team, too much talent ahead of her but perhaps she is just seeing what she is capable of? I admire just giving it a go even if the landscape isn’t the most advantageous to make certain teams.
You never know! Plus, if you have financial support that provides the opportunity, you will absolutely never get it again in your lifetime! Go for it!
What end up happing with Terri? I forgot how that story ended?
Cant abuse swimmers so probably working for ICE
Accurate
Hopefully goes better than it did for King Cong…
I lack the ball knowledge for this, who is King Cong and what happened to him?
Jack Conger, the greatest male NCAA swimmer of all time.
I’m mostly joking, but after he left Texas, he was never the same.
My favorite NCAA relay of all time. Relative to their era, Joe/Jack backhalf was unmatched
https://youtu.be/IwHG_KnNY1s?si=HTgED0say44iwY8O
Oh man I remember Jack Conger, he was a force in the NCAA. I remember how hype his 200 fly senior title was. The last I remember seeing him was the 100 fly semis at 2019 worlds, I never knew where he went after that. That’s a shame the way his career tapered off
100%
Cal fans are upset. I apologize.
Wow – is this the first-ever non-alum to join the UVA pro group?
Jack Conger and Catie Deloof swam with UVA before the Tokyo Olympics.
Conger represented VT at trials in 2021, so he left UVA before then
Cate Deloof became an Olympian after joining post-grad….