Deaf World Record Holder Carli Cronk Commits to Notre Dame With Team Leading Times

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Carli Cronk, a member of the USA Deaf Swimming National Team, has announced her verbal commitment to the University of Notre Dame for the fall of 2024.

Cronk is a junior at Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas where she has earned Scholastic All-American honors twice. She trains year-round with Alamo Area Aquatic Association (AAAA) and is currently ranked as the #34 recruit in the high school class of 2024.

She won 12 gold medals at the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil, making her the most decorated athlete at a single Deaflympic Games. She simultaneously set Deaf world records in three events: the 1500 free, 200 fly, and 400 IM.

courtesy of Mark Cronk

Later that year, USA Swimming awarded Cronk the Trischa L. Zorn Award for being a disabled swimmer “with the most outstanding performance during the previous year.” The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) also named her the 2022 Sportswoman of the Year.

Cronk was a two-time finalist at the 2023 UIL 6A State Championships in February, placing second in the 200 free (1:47.82) and 6th in the 500 free (4:57.56). She is also a two-time Winter Juniors finalist after she earned 8th place in the 400 IM in 2021 (4:18.14)  and 17th place in the 200 fly in 2022 (1:58.42). Each swim was a lifetime best time for her.

The versatile freestyle, butterfly, and IM specialist lowered her 400 IM time again recently at the 2023 Sectionals in College Station. She won the event with a best time of 4:16.00 and placed 6th in the 200 fly (2:02.26). 

Top SCY times: 

• 200 free – 1:47.82 
• 500 free – 4:51.71 
• 1650 free – 16:33.09 
• 100 back – 56.77R 
• 200 back – 2:00.05 
• 200 fly – 1:58.42 
• 400 IM – 4:16.00 

Notre Dame competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Division I of the NCAA, a conference where Cronk already has finalist potential in four events. Her lifetime best times would have made her Notre Dame’s highest placing finisher in the 400 IM (in 15th place) and 200 free (23rd) and their third-highest finisher in the 1650 free (12th) and 200 fly (15th) at last season’s championships. 

Cronk will be completely revamping Notre Dame’s 400 IM group, led by sophomore Mary Pruitt who placed 18th at the 2023 ACC Championships, and their 200 free squad, led by junior Kallie Chelsvig who placed 35th.

Notre Dame isn’t graduating their top talent in any of Cronk’s events so she will still be joining strong training groups. Notably, sophomore Maggie Graves tops the 1650 freestylers after taking 6th place at last season’s championships and freshman Renee Gillilan leads the 200 butterfliers after placing 10th in the event at ACCs.

Notre Dame women are coming off an eighth-place finish at the 2023 ACC Championships during their first season under head coach Chris Lindauer. Cronk joins her club teammate Emily Kitayama, a butterfly and freestyle specialist, and Alyssa Street, a distance freestyler and IMer, in Notre Dame’s class of 2028 verbal commitments.

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