Columbus, Ohio native Kiera Powers has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at The Ohio State University as part of the class of 2032, giving the Buckeyes their first public commitment for that recruiting cycle. Powers shared her decision with SwimSwam, expressing excitement about continuing both her academic and athletic career at Ohio State.
In her announcement, Powers thanked her teammates, friends, and coaches — specifically recognizing Coach John T Sands for guiding her through the recruiting process and encouraging her to push through challenges along the way. She also thanked her parents and her siblings, Liam, Max, Nieve, and Oran, along with Ohio State’s coaching staff for the opportunity, reflecting that sometimes the right answer has been close to home the whole time.
Kiera Powers’ Standout High School Swimming Career
A junior at Upper Arlington High School, Powers is a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American who swims year-round with the Upper Arlington Swim Club. She’s a Summer Juniors qualifier in the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 free, and was previously named to the “Best of the Rest” section of SwimSwam’s early rankings for top girls’ swimming recruits in the high school class of 2028.
Powers has been especially dominant at the state level. At last winter’s Ohio State Division 1 High School State Swimming and Diving Championships, she won both the 200 IM (1:59.79) and the 500 free (4:55.92), while also leading off Upper Arlington’s winning 200 free and 400 free relay teams with splits of 23.86 and 51.34, respectively. She posted lifetime bests in both the 100 free and 200 IM at that meet.
Kiera Powers’ Recent Best Times and Meet Performances
Powers has continued to trend upward throughout 2025 and into this summer. At the 2025 Winter Juniors East meet, she competed in the 200 free, 500 free, and 200 IM, clocking personal bests in both freestyle events (1:49.20 and 4:55.52). Three months later, at the Ohio Swimming Tim Myers Short Course Senior Championships, she lowered her 200 free time even further to 1:47.86, while also adding new personal bests in the 200 breast (2:24.14), 200 fly (2:03.32), 100 IM (56.21), and 400 IM (4:18.59).
This summer brought even more progress. At Columbus Sectionals, Powers posted three best times: 4:26.94 in the 400 free, 2:20.54 in the 200 IM, and 4:59.62 in the 400 IM. At Summer Junior Nationals, she competed across the 50, 200, and 400 free events as well as the 200 and 400 IM, finishing eighth in the 200 IM while notching personal bests of 27.19 in the 50 free, 4:25.45 in the 400 free, and 2:19.12 in the 200 IM.
Kiera Powers’ Complete Best SCY Times
- 200 IM — 1:59.79
- 400 IM — 4:18.59
- 50 free — 23.75
- 100 free — 51.34
- 200 free — 1:47.86
- 500 free — 4:55.52
How Kiera Powers’ Times Stack Up at the Big Ten Level
Powers’ current times already put her within striking distance of Big Ten scoring range. Her 200 IM time would have been fast enough to score in the “C” final at the 2026 Big Ten Championships, while her 400 IM and 200 free times are just narrowly off the marks needed to earn a second swim at that same meet (4:16.94 and 1:47.41, respectively). Given she still has two more years of high school competition ahead of her before enrolling at Ohio State, there’s real reason to believe those times could close the gap even further by the time she arrives on campus.
Kiera Powers Joins a Deep Ohio State IM Group
Powers’ commitment adds promising future depth to an Ohio State program that already boasts strong IM talent. Last season, the Buckeyes had three swimmers under the 1:59/4:10 barrier in the 200 and 400 IM: Sienna Angove (1:57.72/4:06.51), Paige Delma (1:57.07/4:07.99), and Jessica Eden (1:58.59/4:09.45). While Eden has since graduated, both Angove (now a junior) and Delma (now a senior) remain on Ohio State’s roster this season, giving Powers established teammates and training partners to look up to once she eventually joins the program.
Ohio State’s Class of 2032 Recruiting Class Begins to Take Shape
Powers becomes the first public swimming commitment in Ohio State’s 2032 class, joining diver Mallory Worobel, who has also already pledged to the Buckeyes. With more than two full years remaining before she officially arrives in Columbus, Powers gives Ohio State an early building block for a class that figures to grow considerably before she ever swims a competitive lap in scarlet and gray.
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