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Multi-time Illinois Senior State finalist Ryan Vender has announced her commitment to swim for Babson College beginning in the fall of 2026. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am beyond grateful to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Babson College. I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates for their support that got me here today. I would also like to thank Coach Thurston and Coach Johnson for this incredible opportunity. I am so excited for the next four years. GO BABO!!
A senior at New Trier High School in Illinois, Vender competed for her school’s varsity swimming and diving team all four years. She currently trains year-round with New Trier Aquatics, where she primarily specializes in free, fly, back, and IM.
Vender recently competed at the Illinois Senior Championships in mid-March, where she had her best performance at the meet to date. She qualified for the finals of the 100 fly, 100 free, and 500 free, placing fourth in the former and eighth in both freestyles after recording personal bests of 56.35, 52.26, and 5:00.00 in prelims, where she also set lifetime bests in the 200 back (2:04.42) and 200 IM (2:07.32) before scratching those finals. On the relay front, she split 51.27 on the runner-up 400 free relay, led off the fourth-place 800 free relay in a career-best 1:52.79, hit 24.57 on the fly leg of the ninth-place 200 medley relay, and led off the 19th-place 200 free relay in a lifetime best of 24.02.
Earlier in the season, Vender qualified for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Championships for the first time in her career. She placed 21st in the 100 fly (57.13) and helped New Trier to two top-eight relay finishes, swimming a 25.06 fly leg on the fifth-place 200 medley relay and a 51.93 on the sixth-place 400 free relay, contributing to the team’s overall fourth-place finish.
Vender still holds a couple of personal best times from in-season meets in January; she turned in a time of 1:01.47 in the 100 back at the Speedo Invitational and posted a time of 4:36.55 in the 400 IM at the Patriot Pride Prelim/Final Meet. The 100 back seems like an event due to make a big leap, especially given she opened her 200 back last month with a halfway split of 1:01.21.
Over the past 12 months, Vender has been on an electric improvement trajectory, dropping over 14 seconds in the 400 IM, about 12 in the 200 back, nine in the 200 IM, nearly five in the 200 free, just under a second in the 100 free, three tenths in the 100 fly, and a quarter-second in the 50 free, a promising sign as she prepares to make the jump to collegiate swimming.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 24.02
- 100 Freestyle: 52.26
- 200 Freestyle: 1:52.79
- 500 Freestyle: 5:00.00
- 100 Butterfly: 56.35
- 100 Backstroke: 1:01.47
- 200 Backstroke: 2:04.42
- 200 IM: 2:07.32
- 400 IM: 4:36.55
A Division III program, Babson College competes in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, with the women’s team placing fourth out of 10 teams at this past season’s conference championships. Vender’s current lifetime bests would have won the 200 back, placed her fourth in the 100 fly, 100 free, and 500 free, fifth in the 50 free, 200 free, and 400 IM, and ninth in the 200 IM, while her in-season 100 back personal best would have placed 18th, giving the Beavers a wide range of event options with her addition.
On the team itself, Vender is projected to lead the 100/200/500 free, 200 IM, and 200 back, as well as rank second in the 400 IM, third in the 50 free, and seventh in the 100 back. Her range will also strengthen Babson’s relay lineups, where the Beavers regularly challenge for the top-three across all five relays.
Vender joins Mai Pho (back/IM), Maddy Yan (fly/back), Maya Wen (sprint free/back), Leni So (fly/back/breast/IM), and Parker Jacobson-Bertanzetti (sprint free/back) in committing to the Beavers’ class of 2030.
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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