Samantha Pearson, Top Remaining Recruit in Class of 2020, Chooses Stanford

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As the class of 2021 commitments flood in, the top-ranked remaining recruit in the girls’ class of 2020 has announced her verbal commitment. Samantha Pearson, a high school senior who was ranked as an honorable mention in SwimSwam’s top 20 recruits rankings, has verbally committed to the 3-time defending NCAA Champion Stanford Cardinal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B38SAq3gzHq/

Pearson, not to be confused with the former Cal swimmer of the same name, swims for Foothill High School in Santa Ana, California and the Socal Aquatics Association. At last year’s CIF Southern Section championships, she was 2nd in the 100 free and 3rd in the 200 free. This spring she also had a runner-up finish in the 100 free at the Carlsbad Sectionals meet (behind only pro swimmer Linnea Mack), and she was a 4-event finalist at December’s Winter Junior Championships – West.

Best Times in Yards

• 50 free – 22.83
• 100 free – 48.95
• 200 free – 1:46.27
• 500 free – 4:55.48
• 100 back – 54.46
• 200 back – 1:56.74
• 100 breast – 1:06.83
• 100 fly – 54.35
• 200 fly – 2:06.64
• 200 IM – 1:59.62
• 400 IM – 4:16.35

While her best backstroke times (and 50 free time) came in the 2017-2018 season as a sophomore, she showed improvement in the 100 free as a junior with a 4-tenths of a second drop. She also dropped more than 2 seconds from her best time in the 100 fly to increase her event versatility, and she dipped under 2 minutes in the 200 IM for the first time as a junior as well.

Pearson is the 5th swimmer ranked in SwimSwam’s top 25 in the class of 2020 to commit to Stanford, alongside World Record holding backstroker Regan Smith, #6 Lillie Nordmann, #19 Janelle Rudolph, and fellow honorable mention Isabel Gormley. Pearson is, however, the first public commitment in the class who is from the state of California, where Stanford is located. The team’s 2019-2020 roster has 7 swimmers and 1 diver from California among 25 listed athletes.

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