In-state Fly/Back Specialist Makayla Varga Commits to Fighting Illini

Makayla Varga, a senior at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, has announced her commitment to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She will join fellow class of 2022 commits Abby Cabush, Abby Martin, Caroline Hippen, Emily Bolger, Kaylee Heimes, Maddy Crosby, Sarah Cano, Sidney Kennedy, Taylor Shegos, and Tiffany Qiao in the fall.

“I am thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swim career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign! Thank you to all of my friends, family, and coaches who have helped me along the way. I cannot wait to be a part of such an amazing family! Go Illini!”

Varga was a finalist in the 100 fly at the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving Championships during each of her four high school seasons; she finished a respective 13th, 13th, 11th, and 14th in her freshman through senior state meets. Varga swims year-round with Lincoln Way Swim Association. She recently swam at the 2018 NCSA Spring Championship (50/100 free, 50 back, 50 breast, and 50/100 fly) and at the Illinois Swimming LSC Senior Championships (50 free, 100 back, 200 IM). So far this spring she has improved her lifetime bests in the 200 free and 50 back. At last summer’s Futures Championships in Austin, she went PBs in the 50/100m free and 200m IM.

Best SCY times:

  • 100 fly – 56.36
  • 100 back – 57.72
  • 50 free – 24.67
  • 100 free – 54.56
  • 200 IM – 2:10.96

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

 

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Sun Devil Swim Fan
5 years ago

Gotta agree with Coach A. Too many “Yozhik’s” in world today. Be glad for this young lady. No reason to post “negative things” about any of these kids getting scholarships to colleges & universities no matter where they choose to go. Wishing you only the best at Illinois Makalya!!

Yozhik
Reply to  Sun Devil Swim Fan
5 years ago

Listen, whoever fan you are. I agreed with ‘Coach A’ with that inappropriate placement of my recollections about Marko-Varga because it has nothing to do with this young lady who is planning to swim in college. But the case with Ida is important one and it is about coach’s responsibility. I plan to return to this discussion when it would be appropriate topic.
On a personal note, if you don’t like ‘YOZHIK’ world and prefer to live among ‘COACH A’ people where from the each corner you will hear: ” shut the hell up! ” then it is your personal choice of preferences. Good luck to you to survive in such environment.

Sun Devil Swim Fan
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Since this post was about this young lady’s choice concerning where she chose to go to school & to swim for and not about Ida, when (in this post) do you think it will be an appropriate time to return to your discussion about Ida? You admit it has no place in this post but you are “ bound & determined” to “return to this discussion when it would be appropriate topic”. Guess I don’t feel it is an appropriate topic in this post at all as I made clear above.
Just an FYI:
Prefer to live in the world where kindness exists and denigration is unheard of. Kindness must be in short supply in “Yozhik’s world”. Grab… Read more »

DLSwim
5 years ago

The headline is kind of funny; it makes it sound like she committed to fighting the Illini. Anyway, congratulations! Swimming in college is something to be proud of.

SouthSideT
5 years ago

Congrats Makalya ?

Yozhik
5 years ago

Is she related to Ida Marko-Varga? Poor girl who was called an ‘ anchor ‘ after swimming last leg in 4×200 relay in Kazan losing all advantage earned by Sjostrom and Coleman. It was unfair act of Swedish coaches to humiliate her this way.

Coach A
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

I don’t know the answer to your question. Regardless, what is it within you that feels the need to denigrate a complete stranger … a happy kid who is announcing where she’s going to swim in college? Here’s MY comment that I learned from others … if ya don’t have something nice to say then just shut the hell up! Did it make you feel good to post what you did? If so, you really need to get some serious counseling. In the meantime, congratulations to the young woman.

Yozhik
Reply to  Coach A
5 years ago

You are right: that is not right place to bring up these recollections.

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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