SW's write-up on Isabelle's verbal to Cal - which btw appears to have been quite a popular one with her National Junior teammates, even with those who had committed to other programmes such as UVA, UGA, IU, etc :p
Note our 2020 Baby Bear's prowess in long course (200m Back in particular) on top of her short course talents...i.e. potential to follow in Calympians Thleen, Bootsie, Missy & Natalie's footsteps?
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Isabelle Stadden, US National Team Member, Verbally Commits to Cal for the Fall of 2020by ANDY ROSS16-year-old
Isabelle Stadden, one of the best backstrokers in the nation, verbally committed to Cal for the class of 2024 on Tuesday via Instagram. Stadden is one of the top ranked recruits in the class of 2020 and is the second ranked recruit in the state of Minnesota behind fellow US National Team member
Regan Smith.
Stadden is primarily a backstroker with impressive times of 51.23 and 1:50.37 in short course yards. Stadden would have been in the A-Final in the
200 back and B-Final in the 100 back at this past year's NCAAs in March. She would have also been Cal's number one 200 backstroker this year and their third 100 backstroker behind outgoing senior
Amy Bilquist and freshman
Izzy Ivey.
Stadden also has very impressive long course best times of 1:00.07 and 2:08.24 in the 100 and 200 back.
Stadden was third this past summer in the 200 backstroke at US Nationals, which qualified her to swim for Team USA at the
Pan American Games this summer. She was the gold medalist in the 200 back at Junior Pan Pacs this past summer.
Stadden is also one of seven women on the US National Team that are currently still in high school. She is in her junior year at Blaine High School in Blaine, Minnesota and swims for
Katherine Lundsten at Aquajets Swim Team. Stadden comes from the same club team as 2012 Olympian
Rachel Bootsma.
The other National Team members that are still in high school are
Phoebe Bacon,
Mariah Denigan,
Regan Smith,
Chase Travis,
Alex Walsh and
Emily Weiss.
Stadden also has NCAA relay scoring ability in the sprint free events where she is a 22.71 in the 50 and 50.14 in the 100 free. Cal won both sprint free relays at NCAAs this year and have been known to churn out sprinters.
Cal has also been well known at producing great backstroke talent. This decade, they have had NCAA champions in either the 100 or 200 back from Bootsma,
Missy Franklin,
Elizabeth Pelton and
Cindy Tran.
Stadden joins a Cal team that has been the NCAA runner-up three years in a row. By the time Stadden gets to Berkeley in the fall of 2020, Cal will have
Robin Neumann as a senior leader and
Izzy Ivey will be a junior.
The Golden Bears will have
Danielle Carter,
Chloe Clark,
Emma Davidson,
Sarah Dimeco,
Ashlyn Fiorilli,
Anna Kalandadze,
RachelKlinker and
Ayla Spitz on campus in the fall as freshmen.
Stadden will join the next year's class and is the first big name the Golden Bears have been able to scoop up in this class.
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