Distance Freestyler Alexa Simmons Commits To Duke’s Class Of 2030

Simmons consistently drops time in her main events each year, most recently dropping from 1:53.23 to 1:52.61 in the 200 free, 4:57.98 to 4:53.44 in the 500 free, and 17:10.70 to 16:44.42 in the 1650 free over the past 12 months. All three of her current best times stem from Speedo Sectionals in March, where she finished fourth in the 1650, 11th in the 500, and 22nd in the 200, her first time ever cracking the top 25 at the meet.

Beyond short course, Simmons took to the pool at the World Junior Championships this past summer, placing 20th in the 1500m free (18:04.88), 31st in the 400m free (4:30.25), and 41st in the 200m free (2:10.82), well shy of her PBs of 2:06.22, 4:23.83, and 17:15.57. She also helped Peru take 14th in the 4x200m free relay, providing a 2:11.14 split on the second leg, the third-fastest on the relay squad.

She most recently competed at the Winter Junior Championships, her second time qualifying for the meet, and touched 49th in the 1000 free (10:20.96), 79th in the 200 free (1:55.15), and 89th in the 500 free (5:09.31). The 500 free and 1000 free were season bests, while she was just 0.34 shy in the 200 free, setting herself up to challenge her best times to cap off the season strong in a few months’ time. She notably didn’t swim the 1650 this time around; at last year’s meet, she placed 33rd in the 1650 and 50th in the 500 free.

Top SCY Times:

• 200 Freestyle: 1:52.61
• 500 Freestyle: 4:53.44
• 1650 Freestyle: 16:44.42

This is only the second recruiting class for head coach Brian Barnes, who was named to the position in May 2023. The Duke women finished 11th out of 15 teams at the 2025 ACC Championships before scoring 33 points at NCAAs, coming in 21st.

Simmons sits just outside scoring range based on last year’s ACC standards, where it took 1:46.56, 4:46.77, and 16:41.35 to score in her primary events. Distance free has been a soft spot for Duke, with no scorers in the 200 and 500 and only one in the 1650 last season. If Simmons keeps progressing however, she could address a clear gap in the Blue Devils’ lineup.

On the team’s 2024-25 depth chart, Simmons would have ranked second in the 1650, third in the 500, and eighth in the 200. Junior Audrey Portello led the way in the 500 and 1650, but with her graduating this May, Simmons, current freshman Neala Klein (1:51.06/4:52.14/16:38.86), and incoming recruits Quinn White (1:46.86/4:45.93/16:57.66), Emory DeGuenther (1:49.06/4:49.01), Gracyn Kehoe (1:47.86/4:53.88), Riley Anderson (1:48.56/4:56.59), andLily Doyle (1:49.89/4:50.73) will be the go-tos as the team rebuilds the department.