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Molly Barnes of Osceola, Indiana, has made a verbal commitment to swim and study at Southern Methodist University, becoming the university’s first publicized commit in the class of 2031. She trains year-round with the Michiana Marlins Swim Club and attends Penn High School.
Barnes confirmed the decision in an email to SwimSwam, writing:
I am so beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at Southern Methodist University! I want to thank all of my coaches, friends, and teammates for their continuous support and my family for their strength and guidance. A huge thank you to Coach Ozzie, Coach Alice, Coach Mike, and all the SMU coaches for giving me this amazing opportunity. PONY UP!!
A freestyle and backstroke specialist, Barnes is a two-time Scholastic All-American, a summer Junior Nationals qualifier, and a Futures finalist. Swimming runs in the family—both of her parents were All-Americans at SMU, and her mother represented Sweden at the 2004 Olympic Games.
At the Speedo Winter Junior Championships in December, Barnes broke two minutes for the first time in the 200 back, slicing 1.79 seconds off her previous best to hit the wall 28th in 1:59.14. She went on to compete in the 100 back, dropping a tenth off her former best with a 55.86 for 50th place.
Moving into the high school season, she competed at the IHSAA Sectionals – Riley, where she helped Penn’s 200 medley relay and 400 free relay capture wins, leading off the 200 medley relay in 26.68 and anchoring the 400 free relay in 52.51.
Individually, she swept the 200 free (1:52.69) and 100 back (55.46), with the 100 back representing a four-tenth drop from her personal best and the 200 free just a second shy of the 1:51.59 she produced to win the event in 2024—her first year swimming the 100 back after taking runner-up in the 100 free the year prior.
At the State meet the following week, she added some time in her events, clocking 55.82 for fifth in the 100 back and 1:53.60 for 18th in the 200 free. Compared with her 2024 finishes of 12th in the 100 free and 15th in the 200 free, the move to focus on the 100 back proved worthwhile.
On the relays, Barnes helped Penn reach the championship final of the 200 medley relay, where they finished fifth with her 27.08 lead-off, before winning the ‘B’ final of the 400 free relay with her 52.17 anchor leg.
Barnes concluded her season at the Indiana Short Course Championships, where she was runner-up in the 100 back (55.83), fifth in the 200 back (2:00.76), ninth in the 200 free (1:54.06), 15th in the 200 IM (2:10.28), 23rd in the 100 free (52.84), and 29th in the 50 free (24.68).
Her best time of 51.57 in the 100 free came at the 2025 edition of the Indiana Short Course Championships, where she won gold in the event and also took second in the 200 free and bronze in both backstrokes.
Over the summer, Barnes swam at the Futures meet in Madison, held in a long course pool. She placed 15th in the 100 back (1:04.05), 22nd in the 50 back (30.57), and 26th in the 200 back (2:19.39), with her time in the 100 undercutting the 1:04.29 qualification standard for Junior Nationals.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Freestyle: 51.57
- 200 Freestyle: 1:51.59
- 100 Backstroke: 55.46
- 200 Backstroke: 1:59.14
SMU, led by third-year head coach Ozzie Quevedo, competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last season, the Mustang women placed 14th out of 15 teams at the conference meet.
Barnes projects to be a valuable addition to the roster in all of her main events. Her lifetime best in the 200 back would have ranked third on the team’s 2024–25 depth chart, while her 100 back would have been fourth. She also would have ranked fifth in the 200 free and seventh in the 100 free, making her a strong candidate for freestyle relays once she arrives in Dallas.
Graduate student Rachel Anderson led the way in the 200 back with a time of 1:54.38, while freshman Teia Salvino (52.98) was the team’s top performer in the 100 back. Junior Maddy Parker’s 48.09 and 1:45.69 in the 100 and 200 free stood as the program’s leading times in those events. Barnes will overlap with Salvino for two seasons, adding depth to the Mustangs’ backstroke group.
At the 2025 ACC Championships, which featured ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ finals, it took 53.18 in the 100 back, 1:56.25 in the 200 back, 48.72 in the 100 free, and 1:46.56 in the 200 free to score in Barnes’ primary events.
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Does anybody know if she’s eligible to do “a Duplantis” and represent Sweden in case she develops into a sub-1:00 long course backstroker?