By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam
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Nikolett Padar, one of the top-ranked recruits in the class of 2025, shared her verbal commitment to swim for the University of Texas Austin starting next fall.
“After careful consideration, I am beyond thrilled to announce that I have verbally committed to continue my academic and swimming career at the University of Texas
So excited to be a Longhorn #hookem”
Padar previously verbally committed to Arizona State University to swim for Bob Bowman back in fall 2023, and her commitment was thrown into uncertainty following Bowman’s departure for the University of Texas.
Padar represented Hungary at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she helped her team to a 6th-place finish in the 4×200 free relay, leading off in a time of 1:56.14. She also raced on the 4×100 free relay, splitting a 53.81 as the anchor leg.
A freestyle specialist, Padar won five gold medals at the 2022 World Junior Championships, including the 100 free, 200 free, and as a leg of the women’s 400 and 800 free relays and the mixed 400 free relay. She is also a member of two Hungarian Record relays in short course meters.
Best LCM Times (SCY Conversion)
- 100 free – 54.17 (47.36)
- 200 free – 1:56.14 (1:41.74)
- 400 free – 4:08.06 (4:37.93)
Texas is one of the most dominant college swimming programs in the country as they enter their first season in the SEC. Under the guidance of women’s head coach Carol Capitani and former men’s head coach Eddie Reese, the Longhorn women won 12 straight conference titles, winning the championship every year since 2013. It was announced in April that Reese was retiring and Bowman would leave Arizona State to take over as Director of Swimming & Diving in Austin; Capitani remains the head coach of the women’s team.
Padar will make an immediate splash at the University of Texas; her converted times would have won the 100, 200 and 500 free at last season’s Big 12 Conference Championships.
In the SEC, where Texas lives now, those converted times would have ranked 2nd, 1st, and 4th, respectively.
Her times would have also made her a finalist at the 2024 NCAA Division I Championships, showing just how impactful she will be for the Longhorns right from day one.
At NCAAs last season, Texas placed 7th in the 800 free relay and 10th in the 400 free relay, both of which Padar can be expected to make an appearance on. The team graduated five athletes in May and will see another nine depart after this season, including four freestylers. Notably, Padar will help fill the holes left by graduate students Grace Cooper and Olivia Bray; both Cooper and Bray raced on the 400 free relay at NCAAs, while Bray was also on the 800 free relay.
Padar will also help bridge the gap for Texas in the individual 100 and 500 free at NCAAs, as they did not see any of their swimmers final in those events.
Four other members of the class of 2025 have thus far committed to swim for Texas next fall: Sarah Rodrigues, Haley McDonald, Avery Collins and Ella Mongenel.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.
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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hungarian Olympian Nikolett Padar Switches Verbal Commitment to University of Texas (2025)