Sophia Umstead will make the move from the Holland pool to the Virginia pool after competing at USA Junior National Championships.
HOLLAND - As Sophia Umstead heads to the biggest junior national stage, she is preparing for the biggest college stage.
The Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics swimmer is headed to Virginia to join the five-time NCAA defending champion Cavaliers.
There Umstead will train on a daily basis with a group of Olympic medalists, some of the same swimmers she competed against at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.
"That experience was very important for me. It was a new experience and it gave me more exposure to bigger meets and high-stress environments. It was really good for me. I am so grateful I was able to make it," Umstead said.
Now she will join a Virginia team that has obliterated most of the NCAA records in the past five years.
"It has been incredible to watch what Virginia has done. It is the best place I can be at for my goals. I am excited to compete with and train with these girls every single day, and learn from them," she said. "It was a dream come true that Virginia wanted me. It is very special to me that I can do something I love at the highest level."
Umstead will look to contribute right away at Virginia and hopefully make the NCAA Championships, with her best event being the 200 breaststroke.
"My biggest goal is making the NCAA team and competing for a national championship with the team. The new training and the weight training will help a lot, especially my breaststroke," she said. "That will give me a fresh start on that breaststroke. Winning a national title individually is one of my biggest goals for my time at Virginia. I am just excited to see where the team takes me."
First, Umstead will finish her MLA career at the U.S. Junior National Championships, which begin next week in Irvine, California. Umstead will swim the 50-, 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events as well as the 200 IM.
"I have been training really well lately, so I have high expectations for the meet," Umstead said. "I am just really excited to get out there and see what I can do. I am excited to compete with these girls at juniors and I think it will help with how good I am feeling heading into juniors."
Umstead, a Jenison native who chose to train at MLA in Holland, was a bronze medalist at Winter Junior Nationals in the 200 IM (short-course yards) and has been a constant force at junior national events since she was 12.
"MLA has been so special to me. It has been my home. It definitely got me excited when I was young," she said. "We have had amazing swimmers and MLA has just helped my love for swimming and has carved who I am as a swimmer. I couldn't have asked for a better club experience."
And Umstead has been one of those amazing swimmers who has made the Olympic trials, medaled at junior nationals and won several high school state championships. She has been the face of MLA for the past few years.
"She has been the mainstay of the program. She has been such a big piece of what we have done. But we are so excited for her future," MLA coach Ian Townsend said. "We know she is ready for the next step, joining the five-time NCAA champs. She has been the best ambassador for our team, showing what we are all about."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’[email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: MLA's Sophia Umstead set for junior nationals, University of Virginia
Category: General Sports
