Bella Sims

Class:
Junior
Position:
Back/Free
Hometown:
Henderson, Nev.
High School:
Nevada Connections Academy

At Michigan
• Five-time Big Ten Champion (2026: 200-Yard IM, 400-Yard IM, 800-Yard Freestyle Relay, 200-Yard Medley Relay, 400-Yard Medley Relay)
• Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships (2026)
• All-Big Ten First Team (2026)

Junior (2025-26)
• B1G Conference Championships: Placed 1st in 200 IM (1:52.81), 1st in 400 IM (4:00.57), 2nd in 100 Back (49.75), 1st in 800 Free Relay (6:48.02), 2nd in 400 Free Relay (3:07.90), 1st in 200 Medley Relay (1:33.29) and 1st in 400 Medley Relay (3:24.08)
• Denison (Jan. 31): Placed 1st in the 200-yard backstroke (1:51.46)
• Ohio State (Jan. 17): Placed 1st in the 200-yard medley relay (1:34.56), 1st in the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.65), 1st in the 200-yard backstroke (1:53.53), 1st in the 200-yard IM (1:55.98)
• Indiana (Jan. 9): Won the 200-yard medley relay (1:34.57), 1st in the 100-yard backstroke (50.35), 2nd in the 200-yard back
• Virginia (Nov. 23): Posted another school record in the 200-yard medley relay (1:33.26)
• Virginia (Nov. 22): Finished 2nd in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.17), 1st in the 200-yard medley relay with a new program record (1:33.65), won the 200-yard IM (1:54.59), 1st in the 200-backstroke (1:51.96)
• Tennessee (Nov. 21): Set a new program record in the 400-yard medley relay (3:25.54), new school record in the 400-yard IM (3:58.02), 1st in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:08.56)
• Oakland/Pittsburgh (Nov. 7): Placed 1st in the 200-yard medley relay (1:37.52), placed first in the 500-yard freestyle, 1st in the 200-yard free (1:58.14)
• Northwestern/UCLA (Oct. 25): Set a program record in the 400-yard medley relay (3:26.82), 1st in the 200-yard freestyle (1:41.43), 1st in the 200-yard backstroke (1:51.26)
Prior to Michigan
• Three-time NCAA Champion at Florida
• 2024 SEC Female Swimmer and Freshman Swimmer of the Year
• 13-time All-American
• Nine-time SEC Champion

Club/International
• No. 1 recruit according to SwimSwam
• Silver medalist in the 4x200 free relay at 2020 Olympics (Age 17)
• Fastest high school sophomore in the 500 free since Ledecky, who had a 4:31.3 as a sophomore (2021)
• Two short course world junior records broken during 2023 FINA World Cup – 200 free (1:52.59) and 100 back (55.75)
• Team USA member
• Gold in the 800 free relay at 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest
• Led off the U.S.'s 800 free relay in the 2020 Olympics prelims, splitting 1:58.59 to help the US advance to the final. Earned silver as U.S. was second in final

Personal
• Birthday: May 25, 2005
• Major: General Studies

Career Bests