SMU Lands Colombian Freestyle and Butterfly Specialist

SMU swimming just added a serious international edge to its 2027 recruiting class.

Colombian freestyle and butterfly specialist Sophia Richard has verbally committed to Southern Methodist University, giving the Mustangs another intriguing weapon as they keep building in the ACC.

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Richard, who trains in Texas with Swim Streamline at Northampton after previously competing with The Woodlands Swim Team, brings range, speed and real upside in events where SMU needs more firepower.

Richard’s best short-course yards times already jump off the page. She owns a 55.48 in the 100 butterfly and a 2:00.47 in the 200 butterfly, both set at the Gulf Senior Champs in December. She also has freestyle marks of 24.43 in the 50 free, 51.90 in the 100 free and 1:53.91 in the 200 free.

That’s not just depth. That’s a swimmer with multiple paths into an ACC lineup.

Her 200 fly may be the biggest piece of the puzzle. Based on last season’s ACC Championship results, Richard’s 2:00.47 would have put her near the edge of scoring contention, a promising sign for a 2027 recruit who still has plenty of development runway before arriving on campus.

SMU finished 14th out of 15 teams at the 2026 ACC Championships, so every recruiting win matters. The Mustangs scored in the 200 fly but struggled to make a bigger dent in the butterfly and freestyle events. Richard directly addresses that problem.

She isn’t just a fly-free specialist, either. Richard also carries solid IM potential, with bests of 2:07.22 in the 200 IM and 4:33.91 in the 400 IM. Those times may need another jump to threaten ACC scoring range, but college training can change that quickly.

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Richard joins Annabelle Nawrocki, Morgan Farmer and Molly Barnes among SMU’s public 2027 commitments.

For a program trying to climb in one of the sport’s toughest conferences, this is exactly the kind of upside swing the Mustangs needed.

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