Way Too Early Recruit Rankings: Girls High School Class of 2026

We continue our traditional recruiting coverage with our “Way Too Early” ranks of the upcoming season’s high school junior class. Since top recruits have started giving their verbal commitments earlier and earlier, we’ve moved up our rankings to help give better context to big recruiting announcements.

Before we run over our traditional ranking methodology, we should head off a few counterarguments at the pass:

• Isn’t this too early to have a good read on talent? Aren’t 16-year-old kids still improving? Maybe. On the other hand, coaches are clearly finding roster spots for kids who verbally commit this early. And if we and our readership want to have the most accurate picture of how the recruiting season is playing out, it’ll be useful to have some sort of ranking – even one still very much in flux – to refer to as big-name swimmers commit.
• But recruiting ranks don’t matter. It’s the fast-dropping swimmers and diamonds in the rough that really have the biggest NCAA impact. Not true. There are always fast-rising swimmers who quickly develop into NCAA stars. But there are far less of them than there are elite high school prospects who become high-impact NCAA swimmers. We all love the Cinderella stories, the unranked recruits who flourish into dominators. But even those rags-to-riches stories aren’t as fleshed out if they don’t have a clearly defined setup. These ranks help show us who is most likely to become NCAA standouts… but also contextualize where the eventual breakout stars originally rated compared to peers. If you, your favorite swimmer or your son/daughter isn’t ranked, don’t get mad – see it as the starting point for your/their rise to stardom.
• How accurate can these be with two-plus years of development to go before any of these swimmers compete in the NCAA? Who knows? Predicting the future never has a 100% hit rate. For these ranks, we’re a little less concerned with actual NCAA scoring times than we are in our junior/senior ranks, and probably marginally more interested in “ceilings” – wide event ranges, versatility, etc. But as with any ranking, these are ultimately nothing more than a snapshot in time: what the top of this recruiting class looks like in the moment, with full admission that a lot of these ranks can and will change by the time they finish their senior years.

THE METHODOLOGY

Our goal in these rankings is to reflect what college coaches look for in recruits, based on many years of conversations and coverage.

We focus only on American-based athletes, simply because there is so much uncertainty with international recruits – if they come to the United States, when they’ll come to the States and with what graduating class they should be ranked. Projecting international recruits often becomes more of a discussion of when they’ll first join a college program and not which program they’ll join.

A few other factors that weigh heavily in our rankings:

• Relay Value – Relay points count double in college swimming, and any program needs a strong stable of quality sprinters to fill out all 5 relays with stars. Obviously, a special distance swimmer can easily rank ahead of a very good 100 freestyler, but college swimming generally values a sprint freestyler over a distance swimmer, all other factors being equal.
• Improvements – Actual times carry the most weight by a long shot. But we also keep an eye on a swimmer’s trajectory, especially in deciding between two swimmers with relatively even times.
• Short Course over Long Course – while every club and every swimmer will have a different balance of focus between short course and long course swimming, the NCAA competes in short course yards, and that’s going to be the main factor considered in these rankings. Long course times are another data point for consideration, but we mainly view them through the lens of what a big long course swim could mean for an athlete’s future in short course.
• NCAA scoring ability – NCAAs are the big show for college teams, so we’ve weighted NCAA scoring potential very highly. Swimmers who already have NCAA scoring times wind up mostly filling out the top our of rankings. Since college athletic directors – and by extension coaches – also place high value on conference championships, scoring ability at conference meets is also a factor in our rankings.
• Relative depth in the NCAA and recruiting class – a wealth of elite depth nationwide in one stroke or discipline makes a big difference in what times are considered more valuable in that event. Events rise at different rates in the NCAA, but when one event gets extremely deep and fast at the college level, it makes high school prospects in those events a little less valuable, relatively, with lots of other veteran options. In the same way, a recruiting class stacked with swimmers in butterfly, for example, would make each butterflier a little less sought-after in the market, with lots of other recruiting options able to provide similar production.

Of course, there’s no way to predict the future, and the most concrete data we have to go on are cold, hard times. These rankings in no way mean that all of these 20 swimmers will be NCAA standouts, and they certainly don’t mean that no swimmer left off this list will make big contributions at the NCAA level.

THIS CLASS

• Strong 100-200 freestyle class, with plenty of potential in the 50
• Low on distance freestylers
• Competitive group of backstrokers
• A lack of pure breaststrokers
•  Sprint-oriented class— particularly evident in fly with elite 100ers but lack of 200ers
• Plenty of developing medley swimmers (several with 200s that will be #3 option)

TOP TIMES IN THE CLASS OF 2026

**The 1000 free isn’t an event at the Division I NCAA Championships, but is swum instead of the 1650 in many Division I dual meets and is part of the NCAA program in Division II.

With that out of the way, let’s get to our rankings.

Disclaimer: there are a lot of high school sophomores in the country, and no really good, complete, 100% accurate listing of them all. If you don’t see your favorite swimmer on the list, feel free to politely point them out in the comments. There’s a chance that we disagree with your assessment of their spot in the top 20, and so long as it’s done civilly, there’s no problem with differences of opinions. There’s also a chance that we’ve simply missed a no-brainer (we’ve taken every precaution to avoid that), and if that happens, we want to make sure we correct it.

BEST OF THE REST

Some additional names that came up in our research. For the purposes of space, we won’t include every top event for these athletes, but just a few of their standouts. Verbal commitments are listed where they’ve been reported. Each of these athletes is still an extremely high-level recruit:

Where noteworthy, long course best times included in italics.

• Sprint free:
  • Elizabeth Eichbrecht (23.0/49.8/1:47.2/4:47.6, 54.2 FLY, 2:01.7 IM) **Indiana**
  • Isabel Wolk (23.6/50.4/1:47.4, 2:00.9/4:18 IM) **Cal**
  • Ella Gaca Thiele (22.9/50.0/1:50.8, 55.8 FLY) **USC**
  • Lanie Tietjen (23.2/50.4/1:47.7, 54.9 FLY) **Princeton**
  • Anna Shnowske (23.2/50.2/1:48.2, 55.1/2:00.3 FLY)
  • Jaylee Hager (23.6/50.6/1:47.5) **Notre Dame**
  • Libbi McCarthy (23.0/50.6) **Minnesota**
• Distance free:
  • Clare Custer (1:50.9/4:50.8/9:51/16:29, 8:53.2/16:49 LCM FR) **Harvard**
  • Iris Kim (1:48.8/4:47.3/9:57/16:39, 4:17 IM) **Northwestern**
  • Emory DeGuenther (1:48.0/4:49.0, 55.4/1:59.5 BK) **Duke**
  • Lillyana Caples (4:51/10:07/16:44)
• Backstroke:
  • Eva Rottink (53.5/1:58.4, 23.6/51.2/1:49.9 FR, 55.7 FLY) **Indiana**
  • Maya Schweikert (54.4/1:56.0, 55.4 FLY) **NC State**
  • Hayden Gibson (54.9/1:56.2, 55.9 FLY)
  • Taylor Schwenk (53.9, 1:48.1/4:49.7 FR, 54.8 FLY) **NC State**
  • KC Braeger (54.1/1:56.8, 54.6 FLY, 2:00.6/4:18.3 IM) **Stanford**
• Breaststroke:
  • Danica Aten (1:04.1/2:17.4, 1:10.3/2:29.7 LCM BR) **Navy**
  • Maddie Moreth (1:01.5/2:13.9) **Florida**
  • Sara Czirjak (1:02.2/2:11.3, 2:30.8 LCM BR) **Virginia**
  • Ella McWhorter (1:01.5/2:13.2, 2:03.5 IM) **Texas A&M**
  • Grace Hunt (1:02.6/2:13.2) **Georgia**
  • Cate Pawlaski (1:01.5/2:14.8, 2:02.4 IM) **North Carolina**
• Butterfly:
  • Caroline Mallard (53.5/1:58.8, 23.1/50.2 FR) **Purdue**
  • Vivian Moulson (55.0/1:58.4, 4:16.8 IM) **Wisconsin**
  • Audrey Hill (54.0, 23.5/50.8 FR) **Washington State**
• IM:
  • Rylee Hutchinson (2:03.1/4:14, 1:50.2/4:50 FR, 2:00.8 FLY) **USC**
  • Brooke Bennett (2:01.9/4:16.6, 1:50.3/4:49.6 FR, 2:16.8 BR) **Georgia**
  • Angela Kadoorie (4:18.1, 1:04.3/2:14.6 BR) **Princeton**

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Paring the list down to 20 always feels like pulling teeth. This isn’t an exhaustive list of others we considered, but the top few left off the list who made the decisions on 18-20 very difficult.

Zetta Bartee – Mecklenburg Swim Association – Providence Day School – Charlotte, NC **Verbally committed to Auburn**

Best Times:

• 200 fly: 1:58.11
• 100 fly: 53.89
• 200 free: 1:48.09
• 100 free: 50.64
• 50 free: 23.71
• 200 IM: 2:02.10

Bartee broke through at Winter Juniors – East in December, breaking 2:00 for the first time in the 200 fly by a wide margin, clocking 1:58.11. That performance ranks her seventh in the class in the event, and she got her 100 fly sub-54 in late March (53.89) while improving across the board in freestyle at 23.7 in the 50, 50.6 in the 100 and 1:48.0 in the 200. The SwimMAC product has also been making strides of late in the 200 IM, but the two butterfly events and the 200 free are her three best races as we head into her junior year.

Brynn Lavigueur – Sarasota Sharks – Riverview High School – Sarasota, FL **Verbally committed to Texas**

Best Times:

• 100 back: 53.41
• 200 free: 1:47.76
• 100 free: 49.89
• 50 free: 23.05
• 200 back: 1:57.82
• 200 IM: 2:02.77

Training out of the Sarasota Sharks squad that includes triple Olympic champion Summer McIntosh, Lavigueur is a strong freestyler with some backstroke pedigree. Her 53.41 100 back best time puts her in the upper echelon of swimmers in this class, and that couples with her 23-low, 49-high, 1:47-high freestyle ability. Lavigueur is also developing in the 200 IM, having placed 3rd at the FHSAA 4A state championships in 2:02.77, and set a PB of 1:57.82 in the 200 back in March to add that event to her repertoire. With the 200 free and 100 back arguably being her two best events, Lavigeur could end up having to do the Day 3 double at NCAAs, though there’s still plenty of time to work out what her optimal program will be.

Alyce Lehman – Jersey Wahoos – Bishop Eustace Prep School – Haddonfield, NJ

Best Times:

• 200 fly: 1:56.79
• 100 fly: 53.89
• 200 IM: 2:02.16
• 200 free: 1:50.32
• 50 free: 23.88

Lehman is the second-fastest swimmer in the class in the 200 fly, having ripped a best time of 1:56.79 in February, racing head-to-head with teammate and age group phenom Audrey Derivaux at a home Jersey Wahoos meet. In April, Lehman qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 200 fly (2:13.18), and after placing 26th in Indianapolis (2:13.26), brought her PB down to 2:12.11 at the Futures Championships in Austin. She falls just shy of cracking the top 20 due to her other events not being quite at the same level as the 200 fly, though her 100 fly is close at 53.89. Lehman saw a big drop this past season in the 200 IM, getting down to 2:02.16, making that her likely third event to go along with the butterfly races.

Taylor Klein – SwimMAC Carolina – Charlotte Country Day School – Charlotte, NC **Verbally committed to Stanford**

Best Times:

• 200 fly: 1:57.81
• 200 back: 1:56.83
• 100 fly: 54.67
• 100 back: 55.24
• 200 free: 1:50.99
• 200 IM: 2:02.97
• 50 free: 23.78
• 100 free: 51.89

One of three SwimMAC athletes making at least the Honorable Mentions in this class, Klein is a versatile backstroker and butterflier, with the 200s being her two best races. Klein is one of six swimmers under 1:58 in the 200 fly, having busted through the 2:00 barrier in March, bringing her PB down from 2:02.12 to 1:57.81. She also dropped multiple seconds to clock 1:56.83 in the 200 back in December, within 3% of the NCAA cutline (she’s within 2% in the 200 fly). Klein’s also got some speed with a 54.6 100 fly and 55.2 100 back, and carried over her short course success into the summer, setting numerous best times in July at the Minneapolis Futures, including 1:01.0 in the 100 fly and 2:14.2 in the 200 fly.

Sydney Schoeck – CSP Tideriders – Westminster Christian Academy – Chesterfield, MO **Verbally committed to Texas**

Best Times:

• 400 IM: 4:15.06
• 200 IM: 2:00.08
• 100 back: 54.07
• 200 back: 1:57.50
• 200 free: 1:48.88
• 100 free: 51.13
• 50 free: 23.97

Schoeck is a classic medley swimmer with intriguing backstroke best times. Her 400 IM best in short course of 4:15.06 is from March 2023, but she’s coming off dropping a long course PB of 4:47.39 in late July, winning the event at the NCSA Summer Championships. Her 200 IM best of 2:00.08 is also relatively strong—seventh best in the class—despite it being set in early 2023. Schoeck seemed to put more of a focus on long course this past season and it paid off, as she also dropped a time of 2:12.31 in the 200 back at the Columbia Sectionals in March, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials (she also made it in the 400 IM). Her backstroke yards times of 54.07 and 1:57.50 are solid, but she’s likely capable of bringing those down after what she did in the big pool this year.

TOP 20 SWIMMERS FROM THE CLASS OF 2026

20. Alyssa Sagle – Nation’s Capital Swim Club – Battlefield High School – Gainesville, VA **Verbally committed to Virginia**

Best Times:

• 200 back: 1:56.04
• 100 back: 53.17
• 100 fly: 55.73
• 50 free: 23.39

Nation’s Capital’s Sagle is a well-versed sprinter, but her best event is arguably the 200 back, having set a monstrous best time of 1:56.04 in early March after winning VHSL Class 6 (Virginia) state titles in the 50 free (23.43) and 100 back (53.17) in mid-February. She’s in the upper echelon of the class in both backstrokes, and is bolstered by having a 23.3 50 free to give her three solid events. At NCSAs in March, Sagle also broke 25 seconds leading off NCAP’s 200 medley relay, and wowed with a 1:01.1 LC 100 back performance to land a spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

19. Quinn White – Shawmut Aquatic Club – Wellesley, MA **Verbally committed to Duke**

Best Times:

• 200 back: 1:55.52
• 100 back: 53.85
• 500 free: 4:49.79
• 200 free: 1:47.79
• 100 free: 50.10
• 50 free: 23.31

White is predominantly a 200 backstroker, with several 1:56s under her belt to go along with a best time of 1:55.52 from the New England Senior Championships in December, where she was the runner-up to class of 2025 Honorable Mention Zuri Ferguson. White’s 1:55-mid makes her the third-fastest swimmer in the class, and the 200 back is also the event in which she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, having clocked 2:12.57 in the long course pool at the end of May. Similar to her 200 back performances, White’s got a number of 54-point swims surrounded by a PB of 53.8 from December (she broke 54 a second time in March on a relay lead-off: 53.99). Unlike many backstrokers, White’s got a wide range of freestyle ability to go along with it, highlighted by her 1:47.7 in the 200 and 4:49.7 in the 500, both within 3% of the NCAA cutline. Her 23.3/50.1 also indicates she could be a future sprint relay contributor.

18. Vera Conic – Palatine Park District – Rolling Meadows High School – Rolling Meadows, IL **Verbally committed to NC State**

Best Times:

• 100 back: 53.11
• 200 back: 1:55.96
• 100 free: 51.54
• 100 fly: 55.39
• 200 IM: 2:04.11

A backstroke specialist, Conic qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in both back events, setting a new PB in the 200 back under the lights in 2:12.09 to place 19th overall and come within striking distance of a second swim. In short course, she set a PB of 1:56.67 at Winter Juniors – West in 2022, and then dropped a sizzling 1:55.96 in the ‘C’ final this past December after missing the mark in the prelims. She backed that swim up by going 1:56.20 at the Illinois Senior Championships in early March, the same meet she set a 100 back lifetime best of 53.11 leading off the Palatine Park District 400 medley relay. Conic is within 2% of the NCAA cutline in both backstrokes, and is still working towards developing a top-tier third event, though the 100 free and 100 fly are coming along. At the Illinois Senior Summer Championships at the end of July, she won the 200 and 400 IM in new best times (LC), so she may be looking to focus on the medley events moving forward.

17. Molly Workman – Nittany Lion Aquatic Club – State College Area High School – Port Matilda, PA **Verbally committed to Virginia**

Best Times:

• 100 free: 49.31
• 50 free: 22.67
• 200 free: 1:51.15
• 100 fly: 55.01

Workman broke through at the PIAA 3A (Pennsylvania) state championships in February. After setting a personal best of 50.03 in the heats of the 100 free, she stepped up and delivered a 49.31 clocking in the final, winning the title over two others who also went sub-50 for the first time. Workman had been under 23 a few times coming into the meet in the 50 free, but dropped a 22.67 in the final to sweep the sprints. Her obvious value comes in the 50/100 free and the subsequent relay boosts that come with that, but she’s also progressing in the 200 free, 100 fly, and has multiple 25-point swims in the 50 back leading off the 200 medley.

16. Paige Downey – Gold Medal Swim Club – Gilbert, AZ **Verbally committed to Indiana**

Best Times:

• 1650 free: 16:11.21
• 1000 free: 9:48.97
• 500 free: 4:49.65
• 200 free: 1:49.71
• 400 IM: 4:21.45

It’s difficult to nail down how valuable a pure distance freestyler is in college swimming due to the lack of opportunity they have to contribute. In the Olympics, we now have an 800 and 1500 freestyle for women, but in Division I of the NCAA, the 1000 is only contested in dual meets and other non-championship settings. Nonetheless, Downey is elite in the 1650, ranking #2 in the class at 16:11.21. The time puts her more than three seconds under the NCAA cutline, making her one of eight swimmers in the class to have at least one cut. It was her only short course mile of the 2023-24 season, but Downey made it count at Winter Juniors – West in December, winning the title by nearly eight seconds. Last summer, she was 3rd at U.S. Junior Nationals in the LC 1500 free (16:32.05), and in June, she set a PB of 8:42.56 in the 800 free at the Olympic Trials to place 17th—she and Kayla Han (28th) were the youngest swimmers in the entire field. In short course, Downey is also on the come-up in the 500 free (4:49.65) and 200 free (1:49.71) with a developing 400 IM.

15. Clare Watson – Bellevue Swim Club – Mercer Island High School – Mercer Island, WA **Verbally committed to Stanford**

Best Times:

• 200 fly: 1:57.56
• 100 fly: 53.32
• 50 free: 22.93
• 100 free: 51.08
• 200 free: 1:49.86
• 400 IM: 4:19.99

Watson projects as a 100/200 butterflier in college with several options for her third event. Notably, Watson has Canadian sporting citizenship but trains in the U.S. She raced at both the Canadian Olympic Trials and U.S. Summer Nationals in 2024, which came on the back of competing at the World Junior Championships for Canada in the fall of 2023. This perhaps led to less of a short course focus this past season, with her best times in the 100 fly, 200 fly and 50 free all stemming from her freshman year of high school, though she is coming off setting a new PB in the long course 100 fly (1:00.31). At 1:57.5, she’s third-fastest in the class in the 200 fly, and is up there with her 53.3 100 fly and sub-23 50 free. At World Juniors, she was a finalist in the 200 fly (2:11.64 in prelims) and a semi-finalist in the 50 fly, and she’s also shown development in the backstroke events of late in the big pool, though the times have yet to translate into yards.

14. Riley Anderson – West Hartford Aquatic Team – Manchester High School – Colchester, CT **Verbally committed to Duke**

Best Times:

• 50 free: 22.49
• 100 free: 49.12
• 100 fly: 54.68
• 100 back: 55.18

A well-rounded sprinter, Anderson was already under 23 seconds in the 50 free as a high school freshman, and continued her progression this past season by getting her PB down to 22.49, good for fifth in the class. After cracking 50 seconds for the first time in the 100 free in December, she blasted a new best of 49.12 at the Providence Sectionals in March, making her the third-fastest swimmer in the class. The multi-time CIAC (Connecticut) state champion also has pedigree in backstroke and butterfly, giving her options for her third event in the collegiate postseason. Anderson’s improvement curve continued into the summer, setting five long course bests at the ISCA Summer Senior Blast in late July.

13. Eliza Wallace – Mecklenburg Swim Association – Ardrey Kell High School – Charlotte, NC **Verbally committed to Tennessee**

Best Times:

• 100 breast: 59.67
• 200 breast: 2:15.82
• 50 free: 23.14
• 100 free: 50.30
• 200 free: 1:50.41
• 200 IM: 2:03.64

Wallace is truly elite in the 100 breast. Since we started doing the Way Too Early recruit ranks in 2020, the only swimmers faster than Wallace’s 59.67 have been Alex Walsh and Kaitlyn Dobler (2020), Raya Mellott (2023), and Molly Sweeney (2024). Wallace’s PB puts her under the NCAA cutline and within a half-second of scoring, and showed some consistency by breaking 1:00 for the first time in November (59.96) and then backing it up by winning the NCHSAA 4A state title in February in 59.67. Wallace couples her sprint breaststroke ability with a solid freestyle, holding 23.1/50.3 best times and having split 49.8 on a relay. She’s still developing in the 200 breast, though it’s not raced in high school competition and thus doesn’t appear to have been a top focus of late.

12. Caden Martin – Razorback Aquatic Club Aquahawgs – Haas Hall Academy – Fayetteville – Fayetteville, AR **Verbally committed to Virginia**

Best Times:

• 50 free: 22.21
• 100 free: 49.22

Martin is a drop-dead sprinter. At this age, anyone sub-23 in the 50 free is on the path to being competitive in the NCAA, but Martin is a step above, having been 22.2 multiple times and having cracked 23 an incredible 11 times since November. In the 100 free, Martin broke 50 seconds for the first time in February and a few weeks later got down to 49.22, ranking her 4th in the class (she #2 in the 50 free). If the Arkansas native continues to improve in these two events, it stands to reason that she could move up these rankings given the increased precedence we give to relay value. However, with two seasons of high school still to come, some of the more versatile swimmers have an edge on Martin—for now—with arguably more room for improvement. We’ll have to wait and see if she develops a third event to complement her sprinting prowess.

11. Emerson Callis – Quest Swimming – Monacan High School – Richmond, VA **Verbally committed to NC State**

Best Times:

• 400 IM: 4:12.81
• 200 IM: 1:59.55
• 200 fly: 1:58.40
• 200 free: 1:47.48
• 500 free: 4:48.26
• 200 breast: 2:13.08
• 100 fly: 53.59
• 100 back: 54.87
• 50 free: 23.31
• 100 free: 50.61
• 1650 free: 16:46.87

Callis can do it all, from the 50 free to the 100 back to the 200 breast and of course, the 400 IM. The Quest Swimming product closed out her 2023-24 short course season with a bang, winning VHSL Class 4 state titles in the 500 free (4:48.62) and 200 IM (1:59.55) in mid-February and then following up with nine personal bests two weeks later at the VSI Senior Champs, including her 4:12.81 in the 400 IM, 1:58.40 in the 200 fly and 53.59 in the 100 fly. Callis is notably one of just four swimmers in the class with six events within 3% of the NCAA cutline. Given how solid she is at everything, it’s too early to say where her focuses will be in the NCAA, but the medley events are at the top of the list, with the 200 fly being a natural third option (the 200 fly was also her only event at the Olympic Trials). Her 1:47-mid 200 free, along having produced a 49-mid relay split, make her a good relay option as well.

10. Virginia Hinds – All-Star Aquatics – Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School – Chevy Chase, MD  **Verbally committed to Georgia**

Best Times:

• 100 back: 52.87
• 200 back: 1:55.95
• 200 free: 1:47.61
• 100 free: 49.78
• 50 free: 23.50

Hinds is one of only two swimmers in this class with sub-53/sub-1:56 backstroke best times, and she backs that up with strong freestyle bests across the board. The reigning MPSSAA (Maryland) state champ in the 100 free and 100 back, Hinds’ PB in the 100 back, along with her 24.8 in the 50 back, boosts her value because of what she can bring to a medley relay, and a sub-50 100 free and 1:47-mid 200 free make her an asset to the free relays as well. Individually, it remains to be seen what Hinds’ #3 event will be along with the backstrokes. To avoid a scheduling conflict, it may end up being the 50 free, though 200 free/100 back doubles aren’t unheard of.

9. Roos Rottink – Memphis Thunder Aquatic Club – Houston High School – Germantown, TN **Verbally committed to Virginia**

Best Times:

• 200 back: 1:55.26
• 100 back: 53.21
• 100 fly: 53.96
• 200 fly: 2:00.12
• 50 free: 23.29
• 100 free: 50.13
• 200 free: 1:48.10
• 200 IM: 2:03.63

Rottink is a swimmer whose best events come in the 100 back, 200 back and 100 fly, but also has the ability to be a contributor to the free relays. The second-fastest 200 backstroker in the class, Rottink went 1:55.26 at Winter Juniors – East in December, making the ‘A’ final. At 53-low in the 100 back and 53-high in the 100 fly, she’s got the potential to be a future scorer in both races if she continues on her improvement trajectory. At first glance, her freestyle times might not jump off the page, but 23.2, 50.1 and 1:48.1 are all very solid, and she’s better than the numbers indicate, having split 22.5 and 49.2 on relays at the TISCA State Championships in February.

8. Ella Antoniewski – Waukesha Express Swim Team – Waukesha High School – Waukesha, WI

Best Times:

• 200 free: 1:46.52
• 500 free: 4:44.60
• 1650 free: 16:33.81
• 100 free: 49.72
• 50 free: 23.10
• 100 back: 53.61
• 200 back: 1:57.86
• 100 fly: 54.74
• 200 fly: 2:00.53
• 200 IM: 2:01.71

Antoniewski is an all-around freestyler, with times within 2% of the NCAA cutline in the 200, 500, and 1650. She’s second-fastest in the class in the 500 free at 4:44.60, and is third in the 200 free at 1:46.52, having set both PBs at Winter Juniors – West in December. The Waukesha Express Swim Team member has the rare ability to be competitive in the sprints, backstroke and butterfly while also being a strong distance swimmer. She’s got the sprint accolades (23.1/49.7) to be a relay contender for her future NCAA home, while 53.6/1:57.8 backstrokes and a 54.7 100 fly make those events all options moving forward.

7. Avery Klamfoth – SwimMAC Carolina – Myers Park High School – Charlotte, NC **Verbally committed to Texas**

Best Times: 

• 400 IM: 4:10.90
• 200 IM: 1:57.61
• 100 breast: 1:00.43
• 200 breast: 2:11.27
• 200 fly: 2:01.27
• 1650 free: 16:45.14
• 200 free: 1:51.43
• 100 free: 50.91
• 50 free: 23.73

As the second-fastest 400 IMer in the class, it’s no surprise that Klamfoth brings a versatile skillset to the table. The SwimMAC Carolina product is within two-tenths of the NCAA cutline in the 400 IM, having notched a personal best of 4:10.90 in February. Klamfoth is also within striking distance of the cutline in the 200 IM at 1:57.61, and is one of the best breaststrokers in the class with 1:00.4/2:11.2 best times. Klamfoth’s main focus will be on IM—she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in both medley events—but also projects to be competitive in the NCAA in the 200 breast, assuming that’s her #3 event. She’s also shown some sprint free potential.

6. Mena Boardman – Portland Aquatic Club – Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) – Portland, OR **Verbally committed to Texas**

Best Times:

• 100 fly: 51.62
• 100 back: 52.93
• 50 free: 22.22
• 100 free: 49.37

Boardman ranks in this class’s top three in the 100 fly, 100 back and 50 free, and she’s also right up there in the 100 free. Needless to say, she’s a pure sprinter, a specialty that reaps rewards in college swimming. She logged her best times in the 100 fly (51.62) and 50 free (22.22) in late February en route to winning NEPSAC state titles, with the 100 fly time making her one of two in the class under 52 seconds and putting her under the NCAA cutline (51.88). Boardman parlayed that short course success by qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in long course a few weeks later, clocking 59.37 in the 100 fly at the Speedo Sectionals in Federal Way. After having seismic drops in her four primary events as a sophomore, it will be interesting to see how Boardman continues to progress as a high school junior this season.

5. Kelsey Zhang – Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics – Saratoga High School – Saratoga, CA **Verbally committed to Cal**

Best Times:

• 200 fly: 1:53.51 (best in class)
• 100 fly: 52.08
• 200 IM: 1:57.26
• 200 free: 1:48.38
• 100 back: 54.10
• 100 breast: 1:01.85
• 500 free: 4:48.16
• 100 free: 50.46
• 50 free: 23.11

At this point in her young career, Zhang is faster in the 200 fly than the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2025, Alex Shackell, was last year. Shackell of course is coming off making the Olympic final in the event, so you can say Zhang is in good company. The reasoning behind the comparison is to illustrate how strong Zhang is in the event relative to most swimmers coming out of their sophomore year of high school. She’s at 1:53.51, and the next-fastest in this class is…1:56-high. Zhang is more than a second quicker than the cut-off for the NCAA consolation final in 2024, and within striking distance of making the ‘A’ final. She’s got three strong events with the 100 fly (52.08) and 200 IM (1:57.26) both just shy of the NCAA cutline, and her versatility is on full display with competitive bests in the 200 and 500 free and 100 breast.

4. Ava DeAnda – Riverside Aquatics Association – Riverside Poly-tech High School – Riverside, CA **Verbally committed to Cal**

Best Times:

• 100 free: 48.27
• 50 free: 22.44
• 200 free: 1:45.98
• 200 IM: 2:01.61
• 100 fly: 55.30
• 100 back: 56.66

DeAnda is one of just two swimmers under the 49-second threshold in the 100 free, the most valuable event in college swimming, and will be flirting with the 48 barrier this season after ripping a 48.27 en route to winning the CIF state title in May. This class only has eight swimmers who have an NCAA cut from 2024, and DeAnda’s comes in the 100 free. The Riverside product won the 200 free with a PB at the same meet, going 1:45.98 to make her also one of two sub-1:46 swimmers in the class. She owns a blistering best time of 22.44 in the 50 free, and has split as fast as 22.06 with a flying start—drop-dead speed given she still has two seasons of high school left.

3. Molly Sweeney – Carmel Swim Club – Carmel High School – Carmel, IN **Verbally committed to Tennessee**

Best Times:

• 200 IM: 1:54.58 (best in class)
• 200 breast: 2:07.49 (best in class)
• 100 breast: 59.47 (best in class)
• 400 IM: 4:12.06
• 100 fly: 52.24
• 200 free: 1:47.09
• 100 free: 49.76
• 50 free: 23.00
• 100 back: 55.54

It’s rare to see a truly elite breaststroker be equally as good (or even better) in the 200 IM. The 200 IM is usually the tack-on third event they swim to complete their individual schedule—and maybe scratch when NCAAs roll around—but that isn’t the case for Sweeney. An integral piece of Carmel High School’s continued dominance in the IHSAA, Sweeney boasts NCAA scoring times in the 200 IM (1:54.58) and 200 breast (2:07.49), having set both PBs at Winter Juniors – East in December en route to winning both titles. She also set her elite best time in the 100 fly (52.24) there, and produced notable freestyle relay splits of 22.57/49.39/1:46.55. Sweeney is also the top 100 breaststroker in the class at 59.47, set in winning the IHSAA title this past February. As a scoring breaststroker who can also contribute to the free relays, Sweeney’s NCAA value can’t be overstated.

2. Kayla Han – La Mirada Armada – La Mirada, CA **Verbally committed to Indiana**

Best Times:

• 400 IM: 4:06.20 (best in class)
• 500 free: 4:38.12 (best in class)
• 1000 free: 9:41.05 (best in class)
• 1650 free: 16:00.74 (best in class)
• 200 IM: 1:58.03
• 200 fly: 1:57.68
• 200 free: 1:47.00
• 100 fly: 54.16
• 200 breast: 2:14.97

Among this class, Han has an unparalleled combination of high-end ability and versatility. She’s been making history since she started swimming, including becoming the youngest U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in 2021 (at the age of 12) and setting numerous NAG Records along the way, including still owning the 13-14 mark in the girls’ 400 IM (4:06.95). After developing at La Mirada Armada, Han recently spent a year training at Carmel Swim Club, but recently returned to her roots after an up-and-down year out east—which included placing 4th at the Olympic Trials in the 400 free (4:08.21). Han’s return to California was rooted in that she wanted to get back to the base training that developed her into an elite distance freestyler and 400 IMer, and that’s where her strengths lie. Already fast enough to score in the NCAA in the 500 free, 400 IM and 1650 free, those three races figure to make up her future NCAA postseason schedule, and her versatility across every 200 makes her incredibly value for any program in dual meets. She’s also a future member on the 800 free relay.

1. Charlotte Crush – Lakeside Swim Team – Sacred Heart Academy – Louisville, KY **Verbally committed to Tennessee**

Best Times:

• 100 back: 49.53 (best in class)
• 200 back: 1:50.55 (best in class)
• 100 fly: 50.19 (best in class)
• 50 free: 21.88 (best in class)
• 100 free: 47.86 (best in class)
• 200 free: 1:45.33 (best in class)
• 200 IM: 1:56.44
• 200 fly: 1:57.67

The undisputed top swimmer in the class, Crush is already fast enough to be an NCAA ‘A’ finalist in three events and score in a fourth. The NAG record holder for 13-14 girls in both backstrokes, Crush, at 15, broke the 15-16 NAG Record in the 100 back in December, nearly cracking the 17-18 mark to boot. Last season, only Katharine Berkoff was faster than Crush’ 100 back PB at the NCAA Championships, and Crush’s PBs also would’ve placed 3rd in the 100 fly, 6th in the 200 back and 14th in the 50 free. A good comparison for Crush is Claire Curzan, with her three best events being the 100 back, 200 back and 100 fly, but also having the ability to be one of the best in the nation in the 50 and 100 free, making her an ace in the hole for a team’s relays. Crush is a real “franchise player” in sporting terms.

BONUS LOOKBACK:

Feeling nostalgic? Here’s a look back at our historic recruiting class rankings, plus our retrospectives of those classes after four NCAA seasons: