Maria Sumida

Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics

Abby Hay and Maria Sumida blast off the blocks

Photo by: Karl L. Moore

Class:
Senior
Position:
IM/Free
High School:
Colegio Criativo
Hometown:
Marilia, Brazil

Junior: Sumida qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second time in her career, finishing 41st in the 400 individual medley (4:19.86) and 47th in the 500 freestyle (4:49.64). At the ACC Championships, she placed 17th in both the 400 individual medley (4:12.88) and 500 freestyle (4:43.73) as well as 29th in the 200 butterfly (2:02.28). Sumida posted seven top-8 finishes throughout the abbreviated dual meet season, including wins in the 500 freestyle against Notre Dame and in the 400 individual medley against Cincinnati. She also competed at the Toyota U.S. Open, racing to 11th in the 400m individual medley (4:48.66). For her efforts in the classroom, she was named to the ACC All-Academic Team.

Sophomore: Sumida continued to play an instrumental role during her second season with the Cardinals. At the ACC Championships, she finished ninth in the 500 freestyle (4:44.27), 10th in the 400 individual medley (4:11.49), and 22nd in the 200 butterfly (2:00.31). She won the 400 individual medley (4:12.88) and was the runner-up in the 400 freestyle (4:42.56) at the Purdue Invitational before going on to race four events at the Toyota U.S. Open. She raced to second in the 400 individual medley (4:11.83) at the SMU Classic and was a major point contributor throughout dual meet competition, beginning the season with three wins against Xavier. She won the 1000 freestyle (9:57.81) against Tennessee and the 500 freestyle against both Northwestern (4:54.91) and Indiana (4:50.10) while securing 11 additional top-three finishes. For her performances in both the pool and in the classroom, Sumida was named to the ACC Honor Roll.

Freshman: Sumida made an immediate impact for the Cards after joining the team in the spring semester. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 200 and 400 IM, as well as the 200 fly, after putting up an impressive 4:08.87 in the 400 IM at the Tennessee Last Chance Meet. At ACCs, Sumida scored in each of her three individual events with a 10th place finish in the 400 IM (4:11.21), 11th place finish in the 200 IM (1:59.01) and 12th place finish in the 200 fly (1:59.15). Despite competing in just four dual meets, Sumida tallied six top-three finishes for the Cards, highlighted by a second place in the 400 IM in the win over Northwestern.

Prep: Sumida hails from Marilia, Brazil, where she was a member of the 2017 Brazilian Junior World Championships team. At the event, Sumida helped Brazil to a seventh place finish in the 4x100 free relay. She was also a multi-medalist at the 2017 South American Youth Games and a national medalist at Jose Finkel Trophy in 2018. At the 2018 Junior National Championships, Sumida collected five gold medals.