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Carmel, Indiana’s Lexie Ward has announced her verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina for 2025-26.
“I am very excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! I am so grateful for God, my family, teammates, and coaches for all of their support along the way! GO TAR HEELS🩵🤍”
Ward, a junior at Carmel High School, swims year-round with Carmel Swim Club and specializes in the longer end of the freestyle range. We added her to our “Best of the Rest” section of our Way Too Early list of top girls’ recruits from the high school class of 2025.
Ward came in 2nd in the 500 free (4:46.36) and 3rd in the 200 free (1:47.61) last February at the 2023 Indiana High School State Championships, where she helped Carmel High School win their 37th-straight state girls’ title. The previous year, she had been 3rd in the 500 (4:52.11) and 7th in the 200 (1:49.96) as a freshman. And yet it was a full year before THAT meet that Ward notched her best distance free times at the Indiana Age Group Championships in March 2021. There, she went 10:01.04 in the 1000 and 16:33.95 in the 1650 as a 13-year-old. The closest she has been in the mile since 2021 was a 16:38.37 for 5th place at the 2022 Winter Juniors East meet, where she also came in 12th in the 200 free (1:49.03) and swam the 500 free (4:54.33) and 200 back (2:02.91) in prelims.
Ward competed at Summer Junior Nationals in Irvine this past summer, where she earned a PB in the 800 free (8:48.10) for 10th place. She was 14th in the 400 free (4:20.30) and 17th in the 1500 (17:07.35). Her best times in those events (4:18.16 and 17:02.29, respectively) date from the summer of 2021.
Best SCY times:
- 200 free – 1:47.61
- 500 free – 4:46.36
- 1000 free – 10:01.04
- 1650 free – 16:33.95
Ward’s best 500/1650 times would have been the Tar Heels’ fastest last year by a wide margin. UNC finished in 4th place at the 2023 ACC Championships, with about 30% of their 813 points coming from divers. Ward’s 1650 time would have scored in the top 16. UNC freshman Lily Reader was 19th with 16:41.99. She also would have been the Tar Heels’ lone B-finalist in the 500 free (Reader placed 22nd). She would have joined then-seniors Amy Dragelin and Sophie Lindner in the C final of the 200 free.
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Great addition to the team!