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Junior national qualifier Sophia Paduano has announced her commitment to the University of Illinois At Champaign as a member of the school’s class of 2028.
Paduano made the announcement over her Instagram account, “I am thrilled to finally announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at the University of Illinois! I cannot even describe my thankfulness to my family, friends, and especially to the Kansas City Blazers who have made this step possible in my life and turned me into the swimmer I am today.”
“Another huge thank you to Santa Clara Swim Club and Pacific Swimming who began my journey that has lasted this long. You made me fall in love with swimming very early on, and to this I owe you every bit of gratitude I have. Can’t wait to be a part of this amazing program! GO ILLINI!!”
A rising senior at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, Paduano specializes in the backstroke and freestyle events. She is the current Kansas 6A State Champion in the 100 backstroke as she swam a time of 55.50 to win the title back in May, adding to the 50 freestyle title she won last year. At the club level, she represents the Kansas City Blazers, holding the USA Swimming Junior National time standard in the 200 backstroke with her personal best of 1:59.47. Paduano set that time at the Columbia Sectionals meet back in March, where she won the B-final of the 200 backstroke and also made finals in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 50 backstroke, and 100 backstroke. Before moving to the state of Kansas and starting with the Blazers in 2020, Paduano lived in California and trained at the Santa Clara Swim Club.
Best Times SCY:
- 50 backstroke – 25.49
- 100 backstroke – 55.49
- 200 backstroke – 1:59.47
- 50 freestyle – 23.93
- 100 freestyle – 51.87
- 200 freestyle – 1:54.04
Paduano is already in the position to be one of the top backstrokers on Illinois’ roster when she arrives on campus in more than a year. Her best time in the 200 backstroke would’ve been the fastest on the roster this season, coming just shy of making the C-final at the Big 10 Championships. It took a 1:58.61 to get a second swim this season. In addition, she would’ve been the 3rd-fastest swimmer in the 100 backstroke, only behind rising junior Sydney Stoll and the now-graduated Athena Salafatinos. She’s also right on the verge of contributing in the sprint freestyle events, especially in the 400 freestyle relay.
Paduano joins a very large Illinois class of 2028 that includes Maya Arroyo, Sophia Yousuf, Kayla Duran, Sophia Szymanski, Gianna Cappello, Chloe Diner, Isabella Wilhelm, Stephanie Kirova, and Kennedy Rainwater. The size and depth of this recruiting class is a sign of recruiting momentum for second-year head coach Jenna Kempe. During Kempe’s first season at Illinois, the team posted a 11th place finish at the Big 10 Championships with 215 points, their highest point total since 2016. In addition, the team had a 6-3 dual meet record, their best record since the 2018-2019 season. Including Paduano, there are multiple junior national-level swimmers in the team’s class of 2028, a step in the right direction for this up-and-coming program.
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Congratulations, Sophia!!
Congratulations Sophia
Terrific recruiting class!!