Winter Juniors Qualifier Payton Woodring Changes Commitment to Cincinnati

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After initially commiting to swim for LSU during the spring of her junior year, Winter Juniors qualifier Payton Woodring has switched her college decision, now committing to swim at the University of Cincinnati. Woodring is a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American from Ellijay, Georgia, where she swims for the Carpet Capital Aquatics Club and Gilmer High School.

As a junior last spring, Woodring was a finalist in both the 200 free and 100 back at the GHSA 1-3A State Championship. She finished with a lifetime best in both, touching in 1:52.70 in the free and 56.77 in the back. A year earlier at the same meet she competed in the 50 and 100 freestyles, taking fifth in the 50 (24.27) and 4th in the 100 (51.96).

Over the summer, in the long course pool, she was a finalist in multiple events at the Georgia Senior State Championships. Her top finish at that meet came in the 200 back, where she finished in a new best time of 2:21.96. That time was good enough to earn her 10th in the event.

Woodring also qualified to compete at the US Open in 2020. There, she missed her lifetime best in the 100 back by about a second, finishing in 1:05.94. She has also qualified for Winter Juniors in both the 100 back and 200 back.

Best SCY Times

• 100 fly – 55.46
• 200 fly – 2:04.07
• 100 back – 56.77
• 200 back – 59.01
• 100 free – 51.82
• 200 free – 1:52.70
• 500 free – 5:09.83

Cincinnati is coming off a season that saw them take third out of four teams at the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championships. The team was led by a group of upperclassmen, including Maddie Exton, who was a medalist in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles.

Last season it took a 51.03/1:50.13 to qualify for the A-final of the 100 and 200 freestyles and 56.17/2:01.30 to accomplish the same thing in the backstroke events.

Woodring will now be a part of a freshman group at Cincinnati that is set to include Abi Carroll, Joleigh Crye, Grace Gavin, and Mia Hensley.

The change of commitment comes following a coaching staff switch that occurred last spring at LSU. The program’s longtime head coach Dave Geyer departed the program to be replaced by Rick Bishop, the former associate head coach of Michigan.

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