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Elle Dameworth, a senior at Milford High School in Milford, Michigan, has announced her commitment to swim and study at the Illinois State University beginning this fall. She trains year-round with OLY Swimming out of Ortonville.
Dameworth told SwimSwam the main factors that influenced her decision were the welcoming campus environment, the supportive coaching staff, and the strong sense of camaraderie among the team.
At the time of her commitment, the future Redbird posted the following on social media:
I am so happy and proud to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Illinois State University!! Thank you to my family, friends, and coaches for their unwavering support. And lastly thank you to Coach Riley for this exciting opportunity! Can’t wait to be a part of the Redbird family!!
Dameworth wrapped up her short course season this past March at the NCSA Championships in Orlando, Florida. There, she threw down together a plethora of standout swims, particularly in the relays. Her highest finish came in the 200 medley relay, where she swam the fly leg in 24.84, helping the team to 9th. In the 800 free relay, she split 1:54.28 on the third leg, supporting a 12th-place showing.
In addition to those two relays, she also logged a 23.01 anchor leg on the 200 free relay, which clocked in at 17th, a placement matched in the 400 free relay, where she split 51.12. Both of those splits were faster than her flat-start best times of 23.90 and 51.40, respectively, with the 50 split being a prime example of her elevating for the team. Her final relay performance came in the 400 medley relay, where she went 56.33 on the 100 fly leg, contributing to a 20th-place finish.
Individually, Dameworth competed across all three strokes and several distances. Her top solo result came in the 50 back, a non-collegiate event, where she posted a personal best of 26.85, landing in 52nd overall. She also clocked a 52.08 in the 100 free for 53rd, a 24.33 in the 50 free for 92nd, and a 1:56.84 in the 200 free, placing 129th. In the backstroke, she went 57.77 in the 100 and 2:09.02 in the 200, touching 110th and 151st, respectively. Her 100 fly time of 58.13 put her 117th overall.
The majority of Dameworth’s best times stem from various competitions from October to November of 2024, which is the time period where she notched her lifeitme bests of 23.90 in the 50 free, 51.40 in the 100 free, 56.92 in the 100 fly, while her backstrokes have come on strongly over the past few months with her lifetime markers of 57.37 and 2:05.75 stemming from the first week of March, just two weeks prior to NCSAs.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.90
- 100 Freestyle: 51.40
- 200 Freestyle: 1:52.86
- 100 Butterfly: 56.92
- 100 Backstroke: 57.37
- 200 Backstroke: 2:05.75
A Division I Mid-Major program, Illinois State competes in the Missouri Valley Conference; the women’s team finished 7th at the conference championships this past season. Based on the results from the 2025 championships, Dameworth’s best event would have been the 100 back. She would have landed just 0.04 outside of making the ‘B’ final in the 100 back, putting her right on track to be a top-16 swimmer at the conference championships.
In terms of the teams depth chart, Dameworth’s best in the 100 back would rave situated her 4th on the roster this past seasonm, 6th in 200 back, 4th in 100 fly, 4th in 100 free, 4th in 200 free, 5th in 50 free, and with several above her in the rankings graduating this year, she is poised to become a key feature in both individual and relay events for the red birds in a few months’ time.
Set to join Dameworth in the pool this fall are Ava Ostendorf (breast/free), Elena Pospishil (breast/IM) and Reese Huber (diving), who should make for strong training partners over the next four years.
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