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Sophia Valenzuela has announced her verbal commitment to Army- West Point for the 2023-2024 season. Valenzuela, a Futures qualifier from Houston, Texas, is entering her senior year at Summer Creek High School. The Army-WP has a Division I swim program which competes in the Patriot League Conference.
I am very excited and honored to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. A big thank you to my family, friends, coaches, and teammates who have supported me and helped me get to where I am today! GO ARMY!!
Valenzuela is primarily a sprinter who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and sometimes backstroke. She currently holds Futures qualifying times in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, and 100 backstroke. In addition to swimming for Summer Creek High School, Valenzuela also trains and competes with Blue Tide Aquatics out of Kingwood, Texas.
Best Times SCY:
- 50 free- 23.97
- 100 free- 52.28
- 200 free- 1:53.12
- 100 back- 56.69
- 100 fly- 56.88
At the 2022 UIL 6A State Championships (largest schools), Valenzuela competed in the 50 free and 100 fly. In the 100 fly, she posted a 57.13 to finish in 20th place. She was just .25 seconds away from her best time, which was set the previous weekend at the UIL Region 6-6A Championships.
Valenzuela qualified for finals in the 50 free, finishing 12th in prelims with a best time of 23.97, knocking .02 seconds off her time from the previous week. In finals, she moved up two places to finish 10th overall in a time of 24.12.
Most recently, Valenzuela swam at the Austin Speedo Sectionals, There, she competed in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly (all LCM). Her highest finish was 42nd, which came in the 50 free. She posted a time of 27.81, .41 seconds away from her personal best set in July of 2021. In the 100 fly, Valenzuela achieved a new personal best of 1:05.84. She knocked .23 seconds off her personal best and finished 49th overall.
At the 2022 Patriot League Championships, the Army-WP Women finished in 3rd place out of 10 teams. They earned a total of 570 points, finishing behind Bucknell University (577.5) and their biggest rivals, the U.S. Naval Academy (973.5).
With a year of high school to go before joining the Army-WP, Valenzuela’s times put her right on the cusp of qualifying for finals at the Patriot League Championships. In 2022, she would have been 22nd in the 50 free, 19th in the 100 fly, and 12th in the 100 back.
When Valenzuela arrives on campus in 2023, she will be joined by fellow Texan Alexis Dickey.
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She is exactly the pick-up ARMY needed! Go Sophia!