NEW COMMIT: U.S. Open qualifier Julia Dennis of Oxford, Miss. has announced her verbal commitment to the University of Louisville beginning in the fall of 2022.
She will join Ella Welch, Paige Kuwata, Jordan Durocher and U.S. National Junior Teamer Rye Ulett as well as diver Jiselle Miller as a member of what is shaping up to be a very impressive Class of 2026 for the Cardinals.
Regarding her commitment, she said:
“SO excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Louisville in the fall of 2022! So grateful for the family, coaches, teammates, and friends that have made this dream a possibility. All the glory to God- GO CARDS!! ❤️?⚜️”
A talented sprint freestyler, Dennis does her club swimming with Shockwave Aquatics and most recently picked up three best times at the Tupelo Top TYR Invitational in March. She sprinted to 10th in the 50m free at Cary Sectionals in March 2020 after winning the 50 free at the Mississippi Championships.
In July 2019, Dennis secured gold in the 50m free and silver in the 100m free at the Mississippi LCM Championships. She is also the Mississippi Swimming LSC record holder in the 50 free, 100 free, and 50m free.
Her best times include:
- 50 free – 22.62
- 100 free – 50.14
- 200 free – 1:52.19
- 500 free – 5:05.24
Currently a junior at Oxford High School, Dennis is a five-time individual Mississippi Class 2 State Championship finalist. She won the 50 free and 500 free in 2020 while taking first in the 50 free and third in the 200 free during her sophomore season.
She has also earned USA Swimming Scholastic All-American honors for her efforts in the pool and in the classroom.
Dennis will make an immediate impact when she arrives in The Ville at the start of the 2022-23 season both individually and on relays. She would’ve been UofL’s third fastest 50 freestyler last season behind rising sophomore Gabi Albiero and soon-to-be junior Christiana Regenauer.
She also would’ve scored in the B-final of the 50 free at the ACC Championships. Under head coach Arthur Albiero, the Cardinals finished 13th overall at the 2021 NCAA Championships after placing third at ACCs.
History was made in 2019 for the Cardinals as they became the first ACC program in history to have both its men’s and women’s teams finish among the top-five in the team standings at NCAAs in the same year. The UofL women recorded their highest finish in program history with a fourth-place showing at NCAAs in 2019. Their score of 235 points was the most points scored by a Cardinal team at NCAAs in history.
If you have a commitment to share, please send a photo and quote via email to hs@swimmingworld.com.