Tavia Arnell Announces Commitment To Colorado State’s Class Of 2030

She is an eight-time State Champion and holds two individual Colorado High School State Records: the 100 fly in 3A and the 200 IM in 4A. Her records span two classifications because her school was reclassified from 3A (smaller schools) to 4A (larger schools) after her sophomore year.

Additionally, Arnell has earned Wyoming Swimmer of the Year honors each of the last three seasons.

As a freshman, she made an immediate impact at State, touching first in both the 100 fly (58.94) and 200 IM (2:10.67). She also split 26.36 on the fly leg of the winning 200 medley relay and led off the 400 free relay in 53.44, claiming four gold medals while setting lifetime bests across the board.

Arnell defended both titles as a sophomore, improving to 57.61 in the 100 fly (personal best) and 2:09.16 in the 200 IM (season best). On relays, she split 25.55 on the fly leg of the winning 200 medley relay and anchored the victorious 200 free relay in 24.25, earning four gold medals for the second straight year.

As a junior, she claimed her third consecutive titles in both events, clocking 56.41 in the 100 fly (season best) and 2:05.46 in the 200 IM (personal best). She split 24.38 on the fly leg of the winning 200 medley relay and anchored the 200 free relay in 23.81, collecting four golds once again.

At her final state meet last month, Arnell completed a four-year sweep of both individual events, winning the 100 fly in 55.68 (her second-fastest ever) and the 200 IM in 2:05.58 (personal best). On relays, she split 23.95 on the fly leg of the runner-up 200 medley relay and anchored the victorious 200 free relay in 22.92.

The bulk of her current personal bests were set at Speedo Sectionals last March, where she placed ninth in the 100 fly, 18th in the 200 IM, and 25th in the 100 free. It was her third time qualifying for the meet and her best placements yet, as her highest finish prior to 2025 was 27th in the 200 IM from 2024.

This past summer, Arnell qualified and competed at the Futures Championships, setting lifetime bests in all of her events. She placed 10th in the 50 fly (28.18), 25th in the 100 fly (1:02.48), 48th in the 50 free (27.53) 56th in the 200 IM (2:27.36), and 81st in the 50 back (31.96), with her 100 fly time qualifying her for the upcoming Winter Junior Championships.

Colorado State is led by head coach Christopher Woodard, who has been at the helm of the program since 2011. The women finished seventh out of ten teams at the 2025 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships.

At this past season’s conference meet, which offers ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’ finals, Arnell’s personal bests in the 100 fly and 200 IM would have been quick enough to make the ‘C’ final. Last year, it took 23.37 and 50.80 to advance in the 50 and 100 free.

On the team’s 2024-25 depth chart, Arnell would have ranked third in the 100 fly, sixth in the 50 free and 200 IM, and eighth in the 100 free. Junior Lexie Trietley led the way in the 50 free (22.70) and 100 free (49.89), while seniors Katie Flynn (54.86) and Maisy Barbosa (2:00.99) were the top performers in the 100 fly and 200 IM, respectively.

When Arnell arrives on campus, she will overlap two seasons with Addison Wickland, the team’s top returning 200 IM swimmer at 2:02.86, and one season with Mavi Nehir Isman in the 100 fly (54.64). With only one swimmer ahead of her in those two events, she’s positioned to make an immediate impact at both the Patriot League Championships and in dual meets. Additionally, with graduations ahead of her in the sprint freestyles, she could be slotted into the 200 and 400 free relays right away.

Arnell joins the Rams’ recruiting class of 2030 alongside Aubrey Martin, Avery Lonegran, Lauren Golden, and Kayda Geyer.