The College of William and Mary women’s swimming and diving team has received a pair of in-state verbal commitments for the class of 2022: Sonora Baker from Mechanicsville and Gabby Zhang from Ashburn.
Sonora Baker
“William & Mary is an incredible school and I know it will adequately prepare me for life after college. The coaches are great, the team is awesome, and the training style is a perfect fit for me. I cannot wait to be a part of The Tribe for the next four years!”
Baker is a senior at Atlee High School. A USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, she was runner-up in the 100 back (55.83) and placed third in the 50 free (23.78) at the 2017 VHSL 5A Swimming and Diving Championships. She also led off Atlee’s fifth-place 200 medley relay (26.59) and anchored the third-place 200 free relay (23.15). Baker swims year-round for Poseidon Swimming. This summer she competed in the 50/100 free, 50/100/200 back, and 100 fly at NCSA Summer Championships, but plans to focus mainly on sprint free and backstroke in college.
Baker’s best times would have scored in the A finals of the 100/200 back and 50 free at 2017 CAA Championships.
- 50 back – 26.53
- 100 back – 55.83
- 200 back – 2:00.19
- 50 free – 23.75
- 100 free – 51.80
- 200 free – 1:52.41
i'm going to college!! so excited to say i've verbally committed to swim for william & mary #gotribe pic.twitter.com/LgOa26dM8F
— Sonora Baker (@sonorawrenn) September 30, 2017
Gabby Zhang
“Couldn’t think of a better way to end my 17th birthday than to announce my verbal commitment to swim for William & Mary!! Huge thank you to my coaches, family, teammates, and friends who have supported me. So excited for the next 4 years!!! #GoTribe ??”
Zhang is a two-time USA Swimming All-American from Rock Ridge High School. At the 2017 VHSL 4A Swimming & Diving Championship she was runner-up in both the 100 fly (56.14) and 100 back (58.34). She led off the state-champion 400 free relay (52.85) and the runner-up 200 free relay (24.68). She swims year-round with Nation’s Capital Swim Club, where she focuses primarily on fly and mid-distance free, back, and IM. At 2017 NCSA Summer Championship she swam the 200 back, 50/100/200 fly, and 400 IM, and was a C-finalist in the 200 fly.
Zhang’s best times would have made the A final of the 200 fly and the B finals of the 100 fly and 400 IM at 2017 CAA Championships.
- 50 fly – 25.83
- 100 fly – 55.96
- 200 fly – 2:01.23
- 400 IM – 4:27.78
- 200 back – 2:04.25
- 500 free – 5:00.02
Extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim for William and Mary! So excited for the next four years!! #GoTribe 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/97pcuK5Kf6
— Gabby Zhang (@gabbyzhang) October 12, 2017
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].