France’s Ethan Chauliaguet and Brazil’s Leticia Fassina Romao have arrived in Louisville as mid-season additions to the Cardinals’ roster. Both swimmers committed to the team in November. World champion Anastasia Gorbenko also recently announced her plans to join the Cardinals. However, she is not eligible until 2026, while Chauliaguet and Romao are expected to compete this season.
The Louisville men have spent several seasons in a rebuild—which got a jolt this season as they brought in a strong class of recruits. One of the areas where the Louisville men could use reinforcements this season is the relays and as a freestyler sprinter, Chauliaguet, named to France’s U23 team, neatly fills that role.
Chauliaguet’s LCM Lifetime Bests (Yards Conversion):
- 50 freestyle: 22.32 (19.37 yards conversion)
- 100 freestyle: 50.57 (44.11 yards)
Chauliaguet’s yards conversion in the 50 freestyle would slot in as the third-fastest on the Cardinals’ roster this season, amid the three 19.3 freestylers they’ve already got this season. Yassin Abdelghany leads the team with a 19.30 from the Ohio State Invitational.
Whe Chauliaguet adds depth to the men’s relays, the Louisville women have become a consistent force at the NCAA Championships because of their relays and prowess in sprint freestyle. The Cardinal women have finished in the top six at NCAAs for the past three seasons, highlighted by a fourth in 2023.
Meanwhile, Romao primarily adds depth to the team’s mid-distance/distance freestyle groups. Daria Golovaty has led the 200/500 freestyle charge for the Cardinals this season; she’s the fastest Louisville swimmer so far this season in both events (1:43.99/4:38.79).
Romao SCM Lifetime Bests (Yards conversion):
- 200 freestyle: 1:59.90 (1:48.01)
- 400 freestyle: 4:06.03 (4:41.17)
- 800 freestyle: 8:30.16 (9:43.04)
- 1500 freestyle: 15:59.08 (15:53.25)
Romao most recently raced at the 2024 Short Course World Championships. She placed 14th in the 1500 freestyle, swimming a lifetime best of 15:59.08 and breaking the 16-minute barrier. Her converted times would place her first on the Louisville season depth chart in the 1650-yard freestyle, and second in the 500 and 1000 freestyle.
In addition to the team’s NCAA aspirations, Louisville will be hoping these additions can help them maintain their place in the ACC conference. Last year, the women finished second and the men finished fourth, but conference newcomers Cal, Stanford, and SMU will look to disrupt the status quo of the ACC.
I’m looking forward to reading the comments about how this is all Cal’s fault.