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Winter Juniors qualifier Maggie Wright has announced her commitment to swim for West Virginia University beginning in the fall of 2026. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited and honored to announce my verbal commitment to continue both my academic and athletic career at West Virginia University! I would like to thank my family, friends, Coach Steve, Coach Marilyn, and my teammates on ODAC for their endless support. Special thanks to Coach Sydney, Coach Brent, and the entire West Virginia Coaching staff for this amazing opportunity! Go Mountaineers!
A senior at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, Va., Wright has been a member of the varsity swimming and diving team all four years. She also trains year-round with Old Dominion Aquatic Club, where she specializes in backstroke.
At the Winter Junior Championship – East in December, her first time qualifying for the meet, Wright placed 39th in the 200 back (1:59.35) and 77th in the 100 back (56.63), going a personal best in the 200 and a season best in the 100.
A four-time qualifier at the Virginia Class 5 state championships, Wright posted personal bests in both the 100 back (55.51) and 200 free (1:52.85) in February, finishing fourth in each. She was also pivotal on the team’s relays, helping win the 200 medley relay (26.37 leadoff) and 400 free relay (52.54 split). Her best individual finish at the meet came a year prior, when she earned bronze in the 100 back.
Wright most recently competed at last week’s NCSA Spring Championships, where she turned in a series of strong performances. She earned a second swim in the 200 back, posting a personal best of 1:59.12 in prelims before dropping further to 1:59.04 for 20th place in the ‘C’ final. She also finished 40th in the 100 back (55.90), 82nd in the 200 IM (2:08.59), and 114th in the 200 free (1:55.52).
A year ago, Wright owned best times of 56.17/2:00.81 in the 100/200 back, meaning she has dropped 0.66 seconds in the former and 1.77 in the latter so far this season. While she is still searching for a firm third event, with the most likely candidates being the 200 free or 200 IM, Wright’s improvement curve in the backstrokes is promising for the Mountaineers.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Backstroke: 55.51
- 200 Backstroke: 1:59.04
A Division I program, West Virginia competes in the Big 12 Conference, with the Mountaineer women placing 10th out of 10 teams at the 2026 Big 12 Conference Championships. Based on the results from the meet, Wright would have landed in the ‘C’ final in the 200 back, giving her a chance to score some points right from the start. Meanwhile, it took a time of 55.47 to earn a second swim in the 100 back, putting Wright just four one-hundredths outside the cutoff.
On the team’s projected 2026–27 depth chart, factoring in graduations and incoming recruits, Wright is slated to rank first in the 200 back and fourth in the 100 back, adding depth to a roster that is set to graduate its top all-around backstroker, Natasha Whittall. Whittall has been the team’s go-to, leading with times of 53.49 and 1:58.45, and has consistently qualified for ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals at Big 12s. She accounted for two of the team’s four second swims at the 2026 Big 12 Championships, with one ‘A’ final and one ‘B’ final, while the team also had a ‘C’ finalist in both the 100 and 200 back.
Set to join Wright in the pool next season is fellow backstroker Scoutyn Jackson (55.07/2:02.44) as well as Aivleen Walsh (IM/distance free), Evelyn Quick (sprint free/fly), Abby Hill (breast/distance free), Ireland Gilligan (breast/IM), Rowan Baglole (fly), Taylor Clements (sprint free/fly), and Gabriella Marim (breast/IM), who should all make for strong training partners over the next four years.
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