'Inching Closer': The Madeline Padavic Story

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When Madeline Padavic showed up in Oxford as a freshman swimmer, her main event was the 100 butterfly.

"My first couple practices with the team, we were doing 'choice stroke', and I was doing fly and back and free," Padavic recalled. "The sprint coach came up and he said, 'Are you a backstroker?'

"I said, 'Not really, but I'm not bad at it.'"

From there, the rest is history.

Literally, because Padavic has been making history —and rewriting the record books— in the 100 backstroke ever since.

Fast forward to 2025, and not only does the senior from Downers Grove, Ill. own every single one of the top 10 times in program history in the 100 back, but she swam an impressive 51.52 on Feb. 28 at the MAC Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

That time was good enough to set a new pool record, a new program record, a new MAC Championship record and a new Mid-American Conference record. Madeline Padavic

More importantly, Padavic's time earned her a first-place finish and a gold medal, accomplishing a goal she's chased for her entire collegiate career.

As a freshman, she swam a 53.91 at MACs and took fifth. Her sophomore year, she finished third, posting a time of 53.58 as Miami hosted the meet. Last season, she improved her time to 53.26 at the conference championships and came in fourth.

"That race is really competitive; there are five or six swimmers that consistently get under the NCAA B cut," Padavic said. "It's one of the faster events in the conference, and it's really cool that the MAC generates so many backstrokers [recently]…

"It felt like for the past three years I had been inching closer…but didn't fully meet those expectations I had set for myself."

That all changed in Buffalo.

Padavic walked out on the pool deck with the song she had chosen (a privilege awarded to the event's top seed) – 'Humble' by Kendrick Lamar – blaring over the loudspeakers.

"I wanted something that would get me excited and pumped up," she smiled. "And then, to really get locked in for that race, I just kept telling myself, 'I've already gone faster than these girls. I just need to do it again.'

"I [reminded myself] that I'm a finals swimmer. That just helped me prepare for the race and get in the right mental spot…Coach had been telling me leading up to the meet that there is no pressure and I need to not think about my competitors. It's not the race itself that stresses me out; it's the fact that my competitors are also so talented. They're pushing me in ways where I probably wouldn't have been this fast if I wasn't racing them.

Madeline Padavic

"But she was definitely reminding me that I can do it, regardless of who I am racing."

As race time crept closer and Padavic and the rest of the field prepared to enter the water, the broadcast analyst stated, "This very well could be the most talented 100 backstroke that has ever been swam in the MAC Championships."

But while Padavic's competitors stayed relatively close after the first 25 meters that evening, she could tell after her next flip turn that she was out in front.

"After that, my lead grew on the second flip…I knew after the first 50 that, as long as my legs didn't die, that race was going to go how I wanted it to go."

When Padavic touched the wall to claim victory, it took a moment for her accomplishment to sink in. "It definitely was like shock and relief," she said. "Not that I didn't think I could do it, but just that it finally happened…

"Then, gratefulness (that my training had prepared me for this moment) and excitement. I slapped the water to celebrate and looked down at my teammates at the end of my lane and yelled…

"It meant a lot to me, but also meant a lot to the team."

Padavic was the first RedHawk to take first place in an event that week, but Miami would go on to add wins from Casey Stephens (1650 free) and Chrisna Bezuidenhout (200 back) en route to a third-place team finish. The Red and White posted a top-three showing as a team for the fifth season in a row, with Padavic taking bronze in five other events (200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, and 100 free) and earning First-Team All-MAC honors in the process.

Head coach Samantha Pitter said Padavic's year-over-year improvement throughout her career has been an inspiration to her teammates, especially the other backstrokers.

"In terms of her accolades and achievements, she isn't one to boast about them; I wish she would! I think she's gotten overshadowed [in the past]," said Pitter. "But if we look at our strongest events in the MAC, they are the backstroke events – because of her presence. Because of what she does every day with those women in the water, that backstroke group has taken off...

"[I'm proud of] the difference she's made in terms of bringing our program culturally to where we want it to go and helping women see that they can be better than they are…they see Madeline's progression and improvement, and they're like, 'I can do that!'

"That really helps set the tone for what we're trying to do." Madeline Padavic

Padavic agreed. "My teammates see where I've improved every year, and it's not an impossible task to keep dropping time every year. [You can] have those goals that maybe do seem like they're really hard, but I finally got it!

"This past conference meet showed me the impact I left at practice and with my teammates when it matters most. It was the best way I could have ended my career with my team."

While the rest of Miami's team may be done competing for the season, Padavic still has one more collegiate meet left before turning her attention to graduating with a degree in Finance/Business Analytics and joining the workforce.

And this particular meet is a big one….check that…the biggest one.

That's because, for the first time in her career, Padavic will represent the Red and White at the NCAA national championships in Federal Way, Wash. this week. She is scheduled to swim the 50 free on Thursday, March 20 and then compete in the 100 back on Friday, March 21. A year ago, she barely missed out on qualifying for nationals, settling for winning multiple races at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship instead (and claiming Women's Athlete of the Year honors in a record-setting performance).

After Nicole Maier represented Miami in each of the past three NCAA national championships, Padavic is proud to extend that streak for her university. "I think it's really cool," Padavic said. "This now will be the fourth year of Miami going to NCAAs…

Madeline Padavic

"I basically knew before MACs that I was going, and that just reassured me that no matter what I do at conference, that is not getting taken away from me. So I might as well leave everything I have in the pool for all my races…

"My goal going into the conference was to win the event, but my goal for my swim career was to qualify for NCAAs."

"My hope is that she enjoys the moment and finds a way to use this meet to celebrate and cap off her amazing swimming career, regardless of the outcome," Pitter added.

No matter how Padavic's final races play out, she remains proud of everything she and the RedHawks have been able to accomplish in the pool over the last four years. For a swimmer whose favorite part of the sport growing up was its community aspect, the backstroke record holder is grateful for the group she's grown with in Oxford since arriving four years ago as a rookie butterflyer. "I felt like Miami was the place for me: just a really great balance of the business school and the reputation that Farmer has, but also talking to the coaches and meeting people on the team, I felt like this was a community I would really be a part of and succeed in," she said.

"Coming to Miami, there were already a decent amount of backstrokers, and when we had stroke-specific practices, a lot of them pushed me. Then, once I got to that threshold where I [finished in 54 seconds] at one of our meets, I knew, 'Okay, I'm going to start pushing people now.'…

"We really feed off each other. We're chasing each other down…so I'm just encouraging people, saying, 'We have to do this. Keep up with me!'" Madeline Padavic medal at 2025 MAC Championships

Madeline Padavic medal at 2025 MAC Championships

And as Padavic has led her team in progressing toward individual and collective goals over the past few seasons, the now-champion has helped lay a foundation for the RedHawks to continue to build on in the years to come.

"Madeline's contributions are far greater than her MAC title and qualifying for NCAAs," said Pitter. "She has shown our women 'it can be done' with the right mindset and a whole lot of hard work.

"She leaves behind a legacy that will help our program immensely for many years."

Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

Madeline Padavic will represent Miami University at the 2025 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships this week in Federal Way, Wash. Click here for more information on how to follow the meet.

'Inching Closer': The Madeline Padavic Story

Players Mentioned

Chrisna Bezuidenhout

Madeline Padavic

Casey Stephens

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