Summer Nationals Qualifier Ava Pape Gives Notre Dame 1st Verbal Commitment for 2025-26

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Ava Pape from Prosper, Texas, opened up the floodgates for the University of Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting with a verbal commitment at the end of September. She was followed in quick succession over the next week or two by Ellie Butler, Kate Simon, Becky Rentz, and Tess Heavner.

This is the first full recruiting class for head coach Chris Lindauer and his staff, and it looks like they are off to a roaring start.

“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to extend my academic and athletic career at the University of Notre Dame!! I would like to thank God, my family, friends, coaches, and teammates! I could not have done it without you guys! A huge thank you to the @ndswimdive coaches and swimmers- I cannot wait to be apart of the family!! GO IRISH☘️💚☘️”

Pape is a junior at Coram Deo Academy. She does her club swimming with Texas Ford Aquatics. She is a Summer Nationals qualifier in the 400 IM and a Summer Juniors qualifier in the 200 back, 200 fly, and 200 IM. She is a 2-time TAPPS D III state champion in the 200 IM and 500 free and she holds the North Texas Swimming LSC record in the 200 back.

Pape made great strides this summer, dropping 1.8 seconds in the 100 free (1:01.12),5.3 szeconds in the 200 free (2:09.48), 9.7 seconds in the 400 free (4:25.05), 4 seconds in the 200 back (2:17.05), 8.2 seconds in the 200 breast (2:48.43), 2.8 seconds in the 200 fly (2:16.93), 5.3 seconds in the 200 IM (2:20.54) and nearly 10 seconds in the 400 IM (4:50.10), finishing just .2 short of qualifying for Olympic Trials in the 400 IM. She placed 12th in the 400 IM at Summer Junior Nationals.

She was invited to USA Swimming’s 2023 National Select Camp thanks to an IMX score of 4,961.

Best SCY times:

• 400 IM – 4:20.56
• 200 IM – 2:04.57
• 200 flly – 2:02.23
• 200 back – 2:02.53
• 100 back – 58.61

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