16-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, Rachel Klinker 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.
Best Times:
- 50 Free, 22.71, 26.12
- 100 Free, 50.14, 57.83
- 100 Back, 51.23, 1:00.07
- 200 Back, 1:50.37, 2:08.24
Welcome to Cal. You will bring excitement to the program while you
attend a great public university.