Verbal from #4 Nathan Szobota Gives Notre Dame A Huge Jump Start in 2025 Recruiting

Sep 20, 2023

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Richmond, Virginia’s Nathan Szobota, the #4 recruit on our Way Too Early list of the top boys from the high school class of 2025, has selected the University of Notre Dame for his collegiate career.

“I’m thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Notre Dame! I want to thank my family, friends, coaches, and teachers for helping me become who I am today. I also want to thank the Notre Dame coaching staff for giving me this amazing opportunity. GO IRISH!!!! ☘️☘️☘️”

Szobota is a huge get for the still-rookie head coach Chris Lindauer. It is only the fifth time in the last 12 years since we have been producing rankings (we started with the high school class of 2013) that Notre Dame has snagged a top-20 recruit, and it’s the Irish’s very first top-10 verbal. “Best of the Rest” breaststroker Jackson Armour will also join the UND men’s team in the fall of 2025.

Szobota is a junior at Douglas S. Freeman High School. He swims year-round with NOVA Of Virginia Aquatics and specializes in distance freestyle, the 400 IM, and the 200 back. He leads the class in the 1000 free and ranks 2nd in the 500 free. His 1650 free time would already qualify for NCAAs and he has excellent potential in the 200 free, 400 IM, and 200 back. His portfolio of events is not dissimilar to that of Jonathan Roberts, who was a Junior National title-holder in the mile before going to Texas and converting to the 200 back on Day 4 of NCAAs. That’s just to say that Szobota has a wide range of possibilities for his collegiate career.

In high school swimming, he came in 2nd in the 500 free (4:25.69) and 9th in the 100 back (51.23) as a sophomore at last February’s VHSL Class 5 State Championship. He also led off the 7th-place 200 free relay (22.18) and anchored the 5th-place 400 free relay (47.46). A month later, Szobota became the fastest 15-year-old American in history in the 500 free and 1000 free when he won both events with times of 4:18.38 and 8:50.44, respectively, at NCSA Spring Championships. He also swam PBs in the 200/1650 free, 200 back, and 400 IM.

Between Senior Nationals and Junior Nationals this past summer, Szobota lowered his lifetime bests in the 200 free (1:51.22), 400 free (3:52.49), 800 free (8:01.36), 1500 free (15:18.13), 200 back (2:03.99), and 400 IM (4:24.89). He earned 2024 Olympic Trials cuts in the 400/800/1500 free and 400 IM. He wrapped up the 2023 long course season representing Team USA at World Junior Championships, where he placed 10th in the 1500 free.

Best SCY times:

Lindauer and his team are off to a very good start to the class of 2025 recruiting season, having picked up Ava Pape, Becky Rentz, Ellie Butler, Kate Simon, and Tess Heavner for the women’s team, in addition to Armour and Szobota, for the 2025-26 school year.

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