Hungarian swimmer Nikolett Padar, who verbally committed to Bob Bowman and Arizona State University in fall 2023, says that she hasn’t made any decisions yet about her plans for college swimming in light of Bowman’s departure for the University of Texas.
Padar told SwimSwam that while “of course I have been thinking about the situation,” she is focused on this year’s meets for now.
“I am also not in a rush to make a major decision like this since I would only start college in 2025 so most likely I will make a final decision after the Olympics.”
Padar, 18, won five gold medals at the 2022 World Junior Championships, including the 100 free, 200 free, and as a leg of the women’s 400 and 800 free relays and the mixed 400 free relay. She is also a member of two Hungarian Record relays in short course meters.
With long course bests of 54.41 in the 100 free and 1:56.17 in the 200 free, Padar would have an immediate impact on any NCAA team that she would join.
Padar is expected to represent Hungary at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
NCAA Champions Zalan Sarkany and Hubert Kos, both Hungarians like Padar, have entered the portal but have not formally announced their intent to compete for Texas next season.
Herbie Behm, most-often cited as the lead coach of Arizona State’s sprint program, was promoted to head coach at Arizona State. That, combined with Texas new structure that features Bowman as the director of the combined program and Carol Capitani continuing to lead the women’s team makes for a more-complex decision for Padar.
Other Athletes
Two days after leading the Arizona State men to their first-ever NCA title, Bowman was announced as the new head coach of the storied program at the University of Texas. While several of the stars of that team have already entered the NCAA Transfer Portal or announced that they are turning pro, future Sun Devils have been fairly-quiet on their plans.
Among the highest-profile of those swimmers are one of the best boys’ classes of 2024 in the country including Iowan Jacob Pins, Washingtonian Michael Hochwalt, Belgian Leo Verschooten, Chicagoan Brady Johnson, and Californian Quin Seider among others; and Austrian Luka Mladenovic in the class of 2025.
There is also the matter of World Record holder, three-time Olympic medalist, and 9-time World Championship medalist Regan Smith. Smith, who said she was done with college swimming after her freshman year at Stanford, entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in mid-March. Smith has been training under Bowman at Arizona State since 2022.
Todd can make her just as fast.
miss Padar should consider the UVA success with sprint freestylers and relays
She’s bad as hell
Bad as hot or bad as bad in swimming?😂
She would look good in orange! #HOOKEM
Mlle Padar, go to California, ins’t it ???
Berkeley with the french swimmers (Reyna, Carlos Broc ?) or an other California university with Hungarians swimmers ?
Usa NCAA the place to be for the young world Swimming,, why not !
What do you think, USA ???
Other case, the sister’s Delmas(Indiana ?) , L Csulak,(ASU) D Molnar…… .and an other canditate in the furure !
I forget F Vergnes !
and Mary-Ambre Moluh !
Carlos Broc doesn’t go to Berkley, but to LSU. Reyna is at ASU.The Delmas sisters had a choice (notably ASU) but preferred to give their verbal agreement to Indiana, and very recently announced on social networks that they would be at Indiana. When I see their communication, they seem very happy to be going there.
Thank you ! 😢👍
IIRC Eddie didn’t use scholarships on foreign swimmers.
Well good thing the women are under Carol & Bob, not Eddie.
Did carol?
Elendt is German
Kyla Leibel was Canadian
Several: Remedy Rule represented Philippines. Joanna Evans Bahamas.
Remedy is from Virginia.
Schooling
Back then, there was an idea that his parents were paying for schooling to free up a scholarship for someone else on the team. I don’t remember how true that was though.
Caspar Corbeau
Corbeau was born in Santa Cruz, California and grew up in Oregon.
Praying for UVA.
Transfer to USC to be with Minna Abraham?
Yeah because Minna did so well in March…
Her more recent socials follows are UVa’s official SD account, and some college coaches — Nesty at Florida, and Carol and Dalton at Texas.
I thought I was most excited to see who gets hired to take over after Eddie. Now, I’m thinking I’m most excited to see what team rosters look like in the fall.
I thought there would be more movement by now. Maybe the looming trials are holding things off? Not many big names in the portal besides the ASU guys
I get what you mean. Definitely aren’t as many guys following Bowman as I would’ve guessed and doesn’t the portal close soon if you want to be eligible for the fall?