Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Texas has landed its second top-ranked recruit in the class of 2027. Audrey Derivaux, the top-ranked recruit in the girls’ class of 2027, committed to the Longhorns on Monday, joining the boys’ #1 recruit, Luka Mijatovic, who sent his verbal to Texas on Oct. 31.
Derivaux, who trains with the Jersey Wahoos under coach Paul Donovan in Mount Laurel, N.J., announced her commitment to the Longhorns on her Instagram on Monday.
@texaswsd 🤘
I am honored to announce my verbal commitment to advance my academic and swimming career at the University of Texas. Thank you to Coach Carol, Coach Mitch, and the entire Texas coaching staff for giving me this opportunity.
I would also like to thank my family, especially my mom and dad, for supporting me throughout my entire swimming career. Finally, I thank the lord for guiding me through this process.
I am excited for this next chapter and I can’t wait to see what it brings. Hook ‘Em 🤘🧡
Derivaux is one of the best IMers and all-around swimmers of her age. This past summer, the Haddonfield, N.J., native became a four-time World Junior champion (LCM) with her performance in Otopeni. She took home three individual gold medals, including the 200 IM (2:10.58), the 200 butterfly (2:07.57), and a championship record-breaking 200 backstroke (2:06.99). She added a relay gold to her resume, swimming the fly leg of the gold medal-winning 400 medley relay (3:59.85).
Derivaux is one of the most well-rounded swimmers in the country, with a track record and a list of accomplishments to back it up. At just 14 years old, she was a finalist in the 400 IM final at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. That momentum then carried into the Winter Juniors – East (SCY) in December, where she went on to win the 200 fly (1:55.18), 200 IM (1:55.24), and 400 IM (4:06.11).
A few months later, at the Speedo Southern Premier, she was even quicker, swimming a pair of new lifetime bests in the 200 fly (1:52.78) and 400 IM (4:03.31).
This level of production is nothing new to the Jersey Wahoos product, as she holds a pair of 13-14 short-course National Age Group records in both the 200 fly (1:54.33) and 200 IM (1:55.73). In the 15-16 age group, she is the 3rd fastest ever in the 400 IM, 5th in the 200 fly, 9th in the 200 back, and 13th in both the 100 fly and 200 IM.
Derivaux broke her first NAG record at a “Sweetheart” meet hosted by her Jersey Wahoos in Februrary of 2024, breaking Tess Howley’s (Texas Alum) 2019 200 fly time of 1:55.29, by a near full second in 1:54.33.
Her long-course output has also neared the top of many age group performances. In the 15-16 age group, Derivaux is the 3rd fastest performer of all-time in the girls’ 100 fly and 200 fly (2:06.46), 4th in the 200 back (2:06.68) and 200 IM, and 8th in the 400 IM.
Derivaux’s Best Times (SCY)
- 200 IM: 1:55.24
- 400 IM: 4:03.31
- 200 Back: 1:50.91
- 100 Back: 53.29
- 200 Fly: 1:52.78
- 100 Fly: 51.73
- 1650 Free: 16:06.70
- 500 Free: 4:44.10
- 200 Free: 1:45.20
- 100 Free: 49.27
- 50 Free: 22.73
- 200 Breast: 2:15.75
- 100 Breast: 1:02.40
Even with just under two years until her collegiate debut, Derivaux would be a national contender right now for the Longhorns.
She is a projected NCAA Championship ‘A’ finalist in both the 200 fly and 400 IM right now, and sits just outside of that top final contention in the 200 back (would have been 10th at 2025 NCAAs) and 200 IM (would have been 13th).
It seems like there is no question that the 400 IM is pretty close to a lock for one of those postseason events in her collegiate career. But with the 200 back and 200 fly as back-to-back events and the 200 IM falling at the beginning of that session with the new NCAA Championship format, Derivaux may end up swimming something other than what we may initially expect her to.
Derivaux will have the chance to also build on the 200 fly winning tradition that Emma Sticklen left with the Longhorns, having won the last three NCAA championship titles andthe current NCAA record of 1:49.11.
As for where she stands on the conference level, Derivaux would have placed 3rd in the 200 back, 4th in both the 200 fly and the 400 IM, and 7th in the 200 IM at last season’s SEC Championships.
Texas went on to comfortably win the 2025 women’s SEC title, finishing 271 points ahead of runners-up Florida.
Derivaux will look to be a game-changing addition to a Texas women’s team that finished 3rd at the 2025 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Fortunately for Texas, Derivaux holds elite speed across nearly every discipline and distance, offering plenty of flexibility to craft the most high-scoring meet lineups possible.
The Longhorns’ program offers much more than just the collegiate team; under Bob Bowman, the pro group at Texas includes the likes of Leon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, Regan Smith, and Carson Foster.
Derivaux joins the Longhorns’ 2027 recruiting class with #3 Sadie Buckley, #8 Daisy Collins, #11 Bianca Nwaizu, and Milan Glintmeyer.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour
Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.
FFT SOCIAL
Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster
FFT is a SwimSwam partner.
Huge congratulations to her coach Paul Donavan and club NJ Wahoos in helping develop and nurture her talent. The failure to acknowledge either in her social media post above is striking.
Best of luck to her in Texas.
Do such early “commitments” really have the meaning that they once had before NIL? Not saying AD will change her mind, but you never know.
Likely if it is Texas. Who is going to outbid them?
Indiana with the hush hush money
People are saying that UVA can’t recruit now. Are we ignoring how much NIL money Texas has to play with compared to all the other schools?
A lot of football coaches are complaining that their athletes forgot how to do the work because they’re just chasing money. Will be curious if we see that spill over into swimming. A lot of pressure on Texas at the next Olympics. Almost feels like they’re going to need to bring in another veteran coach to manage it all.
I think a fair look at how KD and the Walsh sisters have done in and out of the pool puts a different slant on recruiting for the very top tier. And the competition at UVA practices is unparalleled at the women’s level right now (at least for sprints).
for 2027 at Charlottesville-
pro group of Walsh, Douglass, Curzan
NCAA teammates with Moesch, Curtis, Mintenko
seems to be a top training group for 50/100/200 Free, Fly, Back, Breast
Notwithstanding Taylor, the IM group, too, although maybe you had that covered by mentioning all the strokes.
texas doesnt pay their swimmers.
Guaranteed to see .15 second PBs in October where everyone will pretend Carol can coach just for another inevitable NCAA collapse
It’s Over.
Huger just posted a Cal women’s +1 for 2027. gonna guess it’s Erisman
From a TN fan who followed his IG for a long time, I feel like he would have more enthusiasm if they just landed Erisman. The last one on the men’s side was “now that’s a lot of speed heading to Berkeley! Cal men +1” or something like that. When TN landed Spink he had a ton of clues. Same when TN landed Crush last year although not Huger anymore.
Gotcha. that makes sense
Ehh maybe. He did that in prior years but he had the same generic post this year for Davis Jackson.
Not sure it means anything either way.
Word on the street is that Rylee Erisman is headed to Indiana University confirmed on pool deck
Word on the street is that word on the street is useless
Big brain thinking
Is there another NCAA sport where the reigning national champion has trouble recruiting? Serious question.
Interesting that you say trouble but they may be fine and looking to get transfers (which they’ve shown great luck in doing so far), international stars, or plan to still have a full roster by the time HS Class of ‘27 arrives and Todd likely already realized it’s more important for him to train his top athletes in the lead up year to the Olympics. And yes, they recruited on the men’s side because that roster is still trying to build itself into top 10 form so they couldn’t afford to have a low production year of recruiting. I feel like Todd and crew are leaning in to their international era. Y’all are foolish to doubt that guy; he is… Read more »
Yeah, I’ll admit I’ve been liek :0 at seeing no 2027 recruits but everyone’s dum bif they think DeSorbo doesn’t have something cooking. You don’t go from coaching masters a few times a week to becoming the coach of a 5-time national championship winning program if you’re terrible at what you do. come on now
I agree I think in the end they will be fine: probably pull a couple big international names and get pick of the litter from the transfer pool.
Just a bit surprising is all.
I mean Michigan went from National Champs to pretty bad in football. There’s been plenty of examples of teams that win National Championships in basketball then fail to make the tournament the next year.
So yes,