By Claire Wong on SwimSwam
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Kate Simon, an East Grand Rapids, Michigan native, will swim for the University of Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2025. Simon is a rising senior at East Grand Rapids High School and is a traditional sprint freestyler who also excels in sprint backstroke.
Beyond swimming for the East Grand Rapids (EGR) Aquatics Team, Simon is a member of the EGR hearts of gold program, which raised $95,000 for the nonprofit ‘I understand.’ Simon is additionally a multi-sport athlete — in the spring, she plays varsity tennis. In her freshman year, she was a doubles state finalist, and in her sophomore year, she was a singles state semi-finalist.
Simon has familial ties at Notre Dame, as her father, Ben Simon, was a member of the Notre Dame Hockey Team from 1996-2000 before playing in the NHL. Her mother Beth Simon also competed for Notre Dame, as a member of the women’s golf team.
I’m very excited to announce my commitment to the University of Notre Dame!! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to swim for the Irish and want to thank everyone who has been a part of helping me achieve my lifelong dream! #GoIrish
At the 2024 SC ULTRA Championships in March, Simon set multiple personal bests on her way to 3 1st place finishes. She won the 50 free (23.23), 100 free (51.07) and 100 IM (57.24), and placed 2nd in the 50 back (26.69), 3rd in the 100 back (56.48), and 5th in the 100 fly (57.53).
At the MHSAA Division 3 State Championships in November, Simon led her team to a conference championship. Of the 43 teams competing, East Grand Rapids High School dominated with 420 points, over 200 points clear of 2nd place finisher Cranbrook Kingswood. There, Simon set PBs in the 100 free (50.65) and 200 free (1:49.77) to sweep her events. Simon additionally contributed relay splits of 22.94 in the 200 free relay and 50.61 in the 400 free relay to add 2 more victories to East Grand Rapids’ 7 total event wins.
Best Times SCY:
- 50 free – 23.23
- 100 free – 50.65
- 200 free – 1:49.77
- 500 free – 5:05.10
- 100 back – 56.33
Notre Dame is part of the ACC Conference, which will welcome Cal, Stanford, and SMU this fall. At the 2024 ACC Championships, the Notre Dame women finished 8th out of 11 teams, then went on to place 33rd at NCAAs. The ACC is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, and this past year, it took times of 22.71/49.77/1:47.31 across the 50/100/200 free to earn a second swim.
In addition to Simon, the Fighting Irish will welcome Maddie Faikish, Isabella Dieffenthaller, Kate Hotem, Ellie Butler, Ava Pape, Becky Rentz, and fellow Michigan native Tess Heavner in their class of 2029.
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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kate Simon to continue family legacy at Notre Dame (2025)