Sophia Jahn Commits to Michigan for 2024 as First Official Recruit of Matt Bowe Era

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Sophia Jahn, the reigning Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Division I Swimmer of the Year, became the first official University of Michigan recruit of the Matt Bowe era with her verbal commitment to the Wolverines this week.

“I’m SO excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at the University of Michigan,” Jahn wrote on Instagram. “I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve received along the way. Excited for the next 4 with this team! GO BLUE💙💛”

Jahn is beginning her senior season at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona, where she’s the reigning AIA Division I state champion in both the 50-yard freestyle (23.13) and 100 fly (54.33) from last November. She also brought home a third state title last year as a member of Red Mountain’s victorious 200 free relay team, which she led off with a 23.33 split.

Jahn said the 100 fly win was “actually a shocker,” but she would have liked to have gone faster in the 50 free. Red Mountain ended up placing 4th overall in the Division I girls’ team standings.

At Austin Sectionals in March, Jahn capped her short course season with best times in the 100 free (50.59) and 200 free (1:51.16).

Best SCY Times

• 50 free – 23.13
• 100 free – 50.59
• 200 free – 1:51.16
• 50 fly – 25.63
• 100 fly – 54.33

This summer, Jahn tallied several lifetime bests while racing long-course meters (LCM) for her Gold Medal Swim Club based out of Phoenix. At Des Moines Sectionals in July, she notched personal bests in the 50-meter butterfly (28.97), 100-meter butterfly (1:03.16), 200-meter freestyle (2:10.16), and 200-meter IM (2:24.45). She was within a second of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials cut in the 50 free last summer with a personal-best 26.42, but her best time this season was a 26.79 from her 200 free relay leadoff at Junior Nationals.

Jahn joins Michigan’s class of 2024 along with Abby Dunford, Leila Fack, and Miller Ward. Dunford leans distance freestyle, Fack prefers sprint free, and Ward has seen her best results come in the 200 IM and butterfly events.

Bowe was hired in June following stints as an associate head coach at Cal and Ohio State. He replaced longtime Michigan head coach Mike Bottom, who announced his retirement in May after 15 seasons in Ann Arbor that included a men’s national title in 2013. More recently, though, the Wolverine men recorded their lowest NCAA finishes during Bottom’s tenure in 2022 (22nd) and 2023 (20th) while the Michigan women are coming off their lowest finish at NCAAs since 2013.

• Related: Bowe on “Dream Come True” Hire as Head Coach of Michigan Swimming and Diving

By the time Jahn arrives on campus in Ann Arbor in the fall of 2024, Michigan will be joined in the Big Ten by newcomers USC and UCLA. Last season, the Wolverine women placed 3rd out of 12 teams at the 2023 Big Ten Championships with 1,108 points behind Indiana (1,291.5) and Ohio State (1,425).

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