Arkansas swim commit Sloan Zallen, ‘25, has been swimming for 13 years. She says she started swimming because she has “always loved the water and the competitiveness of the sport.” Swimming runs in the Zallen family. Sloans older sister, Zara Zallen ‘23, is currently swimming for the University of Missouri at the D1 level.
Zallen says her best memory in swimming came during her sophomore year at Boulder High School. She said, “Breaking school records with my sister and winning league in the 4×100 free relay with her sophomore year” was the best moment in her high school career.
Zallen was originally committed to swim collegiately for the University of Illinois, but due to new NCAA rules surrounding roster sizes, she had to flip her commitment. She says the recruiting process was “a difficult experience, with being committed to another school at the beginning of the year and getting cut. However, in the end, it all worked out for the best, with me finding an even better-fitting school.” Zallen ended up committing to the University of Arkansas “because of the amazing coaches and program they have.” She also “loved the opportunity Arkansas gives to compete in the SEC.”
Arkansas women’s swim and dive has an impressive 8-5 record so far this season. When Zallen begins swimming for the team in the fall of 2025, she will be competing against her sister at Mizzou in SEC conference competition.
Zallen mainly swims the 500-yard freestyle during the high school season and has a best time of 4:53.98. During her club season with the Foothills Swim Team, Zallen’s main event is the mile, where she has a best time of 16:55.46.
According to the current reported data, the Boulder High girl’s swim team closed out this season with a 6-1 record. At the start of the season, Zallen said her goal for the year was to “win the league as a team.” BHS came so close to this goal, finishing second in the league only behind Brighton. Zallen attests this strong finish to the team’s “desire to get better every day” and positive and uplifting environment.
When looking on to the 2025 season, Zallen said she wanted to “win the 200 and 500-yard free at league and get top three in both of those events at state.” Zallen completed this goal by finishing in 3rd place in the 200 free at the state championships out of 66 competitors. In the 500 free, Zallen finished 7th out of 68 competitors.
Zallens strong performances at states can be attested to her incredible work ethic and self-motivation. Zallen says she uses “good time management skills” and makes sure to prioritize her work and training.
With this mentality, Zallen has been named an All-American swimmer, and has gotten the opportunity to compete at Junior Nationals, two impressive feats that she calls her “greatest achievements in swimming.”
Despite facing challenges like asthma, shoulder injuries, additional breathing issues, and a challenging recruiting process, Zallen has been able to achieve an incredible amount of success in swimming. She says the “competitiveness of the sport and all the people I have met through it” have gotten her through these challenges.
Zallens strong finishes at the state level on multiple occasions and impressive D1 commitment have left the Boulder High athletics and swim communities proud. Her current best times in the 200 and 500 freestyles are equivalent to the second-fastest times on the 2023-2024 Arkansas swim team. With that achievement before she even starts college, the possibilities for collegiate success are endless for Sloan Zallen.
