Olympia Pope, Future of Australian Breaststroking, Commits to North Carolina in the U.S.

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Australian age record holder Olympia Pope has committed to swim at the University of North Carolina beginning spring 2026*. Pope, who turns 17 in May, will be one of the younger members of her class.

Pope has represented Australia internationally at a few minor and junior meets. She is a four-time Oceania Swimming Championships gold medalist, and at the 2024 Junior Pan Pac Championships she finished 9th in the 100 breaststroke and 10th in the 200 breaststroke

At April’s Australian Age & Multi-Class Championships, she won the 15-year-olds age division in the 200 breaststroke in 2:29.12 ahead of another young Australian breaststroke star Sienna Toohey (2:29.52). The two are both front-runners to take the torch for a struggling Australian breaststroking group ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Lifetime Bests in LCM (SCY Conversions)

  • 100 breaststroke – 1:09.07 (1:00.42)
  • 200 breaststroke – 2:29.12 (2:10.73)

While Australians have not historically had as big of an impact as other countries on the NCAA, the door is open for more to come with the new policy of having international selection meets later in the season and the ability of athletes to collect NIL money and retain eligibility (Pope thanked her sponsor, Arena, in her commitment announcement).

Among the few Australians who have made the trip, notable names include Arizona and Arizona State swimmer David Schlicht, who was the NCAA runner-up in the 400 IM last year before finishing 5th at Short Course Worlds in the 200 IM; and several like Mel Schlanger and Phoebe Hines, at the University of Hawaii. Hawaii is where most Australians have wound up, in part because of geography (it’s only a 9.5 hour flight from Sydney) and in part because of the presence of Australian coaches like Chris Mooney, who used to coach at the Miami Swimming Club in Queensland where Pope trains.

UNC is coached by Mark Gangloff, who is himself a breaststroker like Pope and won two Olympic gold medals swimming the breaststroke leg of American relays. Pope is currently the fastest Australian 13-year-old ever in the 200 meter breaststroke, having swum 2:31.71 in 2022.

UNC has one other Australian on its roster: freshman diver Sofia Knight from Sydney.

Others in a strong UNC class of 2025 include Marija Romanovskij from Lithuania, Adeline Cloutier from Florida, Chloe Stinson from California, Lexie Ward from Carmel Swim Club in Indiana, and Kamryn Meskill from Washington state.

Leaning into Gangloff’s strengths, Armand (1:00.52/2:10.85) is also a breaststroker, though it is overall a versatile class.

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Interested
16 hours ago

Australians swimming at US Colleges:

Alabama: Charlie Hawke, Kyle Micallef, Mela Delmenico, Emily Jones, Georgie Roper.

Arizona: Charlie Millard.

Arizona State: Charli Brown.

Georgia: Tane Bidois.

Nevada: Sally Vagg.

Northwestern: Josh Staples, Sophie Martin.

Tennesse: Koby Bujak Upton

Yale: Noah Millard

Commits not mentioned in the comments:

Oakland University: Ike Martinez

Swimeroo
3 days ago

UNC has had a history of Aussie Swimmers! I believe in the mid 2010’s they had multiple Australian Junior representative Eugene Tee there. Not sure how he progressed once though.

Then didn’t Aussie Jorden Merilees qualify for NCAAs while at North Carolina around the same time?

Snowstorm
4 days ago

Sienna Toohey would like a word.

Stephen Thomas
Reply to  Snowstorm
3 days ago

I would be surprised if Sienna does not press strongly for a place on the team to the World Champs!

Cassandra
5 days ago

pretty smart decision considering how the elite coaching ranks back in australia are thinning out…

olympia and inez miller appear to the highest profile aussies on the way to the us, although it seems like theres a couple more considering it! and thats not including lani who i believe was in talks to join the florida training group although that appears to have fallen through?

i think the most notable aussies in the ncaa werent mentioned in the article — charlie hawke and abbey webb! abbeys likely to make the worlds team this year given her 156 pb in tokyo a couple months ago

Last edited 5 days ago by Cassandra
Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  Cassandra
4 days ago

probably because abbey webb plateaued after 2021, then only improved months after returning to australia

Troyy
Reply to  Cassandra
4 days ago

Has Inez Miller really committed to going to college in the US?

Cassandra
Reply to  Troyy
4 days ago

shes an incoming freshman at texas — part of what i feel like is an international recruit power trio w padar and okaro

also a smart move given she just lost ben higson…

Troyy
Reply to  Cassandra
4 days ago

I was expecting she’d make the move to the east coast. When was it announced? I see nothing on her IG and no article here.

Cassandra
Reply to  Troyy
4 days ago

a couple months ago — was announced on texas’ insta! also dont think theres been an article abt okaro — not sure why (maybe too many recruits to wade through?). this trio is poised to make a lot of impact… maybe even rivaling cals class https://www.instagram.com/p/DCmRyNYx9zW/?hl=en

Troyy
Reply to  Cassandra
4 days ago

Considering some of the athletes SS does commitment articles for you would think a Junior Pan Pacs Champion would be worth an article

Last edited 4 days ago by Troyy
Stephen Thomas
Reply to  Troyy
3 days ago

Try Miami Swimming Club IG post…

Troyy
Reply to  Stephen Thomas
3 days ago

My comments were about Inez Miller.

mds
5 days ago

Among ASU Australians over the last few years have been:

Charli Brown
David Schlicht
Carter Swift (New Zealander from Melbourne, AUS)
Molly Batchelor

All four of these athletes had D-1 NCAA invited time swims during their ASU tenures. Three have completed their eligibility; Brown is a Senior who set a new ASU 400 IM school record at the Eddie Reese Texas Showdown.

Samuel Huntington
5 days ago

Laticia Transom is a Kiwi.

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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