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Lauren Konarske has verbally committed to swim and study at Missouri State University, becoming the first publicized member of the school’s Class of 2030. Konarske confirmed the decision in an email to SwimSwam, writing:
I’m SO excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and D1 swimming career at Missouri State University! I first want to thank my teammates, coaches and family for all the support they have given me through this process. And most importantly I want to thank coach Dave and coach Chelsea for giving me this opportunity. GO BEARS!
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Breaststroke: 1:04.19
- 200 Breaststroke: 2:17.50
- 200 IM: 2:08.37
Konarske hails from Verona, Wisconsin, where she attends Verona Area High School and trains year-round with the Verona Area Swim Team. She’s a breaststroke specialist, slightly stronger in the 200 than the 100, with the 200 IM representing her third-best event.
The 2024-25 season saw her drop from 2:19.20 to 2:17.50 in the 200 breast and from 2:10.24 to 2:08.37 in the 200 IM. Her 100 breast was stagnant at 1:04.19, matching her lifetime best from 2023–24, but she appeared to focus more on improving in the longer events.
Her 200 breast PB stems from the NCSA Spring Championships in March, where she finished 19th in the 200 breast, 70th in the 100 breast (1:06.12), and 148th in the 200 IM (2:12.62). It marked her third year qualifying for the meet; her best finish across all three meets came in 2024, when she took 15th in the 200 breast.
Over the summer. Konarske qualified and competed at the Futures Championships held in long course meters, where she set lifetime bests in all of the breaststroke events. Her highest finish came in the 200 breast, where she stopped the clock at 2:41.17, before logging 34.49 for 30th in the 50 breast, and 1:15.34 for 51st in the 100 breast.
Looking ahead to Missouri State, the MSU women, led by head coach Dave Collins, placed third out of nine teams at the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships. At last season’s conference meet, where ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ finals were scored, Konarske’s current PBs would have placed her in the ‘B’ finals in both breaststroke events. She would have been just 0.13 shy of the ‘A’ final cutoff in the 200 breast (2:17.36), and just over a second off in the 100 (1:02.97). Her 200 IM was just over a second outside what was needed to make the ‘C’ final and earn a second swim.
Based on her current times, Konarske would have ranked second in the 200 breast, fourth in the 100 breast, and seventh in the 200 IM on the team’s 2024–25 depth chart. Most of those ranked above her graduate in May, but she will overlap two years with Reese Winer, a 1:03.88 sprint breaststroker.
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