Nikolaos Sofianidis

Nikos Sofianidis on the backstroke starting block

Photo by: Mooreshots LLC

Photo by: Karl L. Moore

Position:
Back
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Thessaloniki, Greece
High School:
Fifth High School of Kalamaria

Senior: Sofianidis continued to provide the Cardinals with valuable backstroke and butterfly depth throughout his senior season. At the NCAA Championships, he finished 23rd in the 100 backstroke (46.43) and 33rd in the 200 backstroke (1:43.22). At the ACC Championships, he placed sixth in the 100 backstroke (46.72), 200 backstroke (1:42.71), and 15th in the 100 butterfly (46.52). Sofianidis also registered six top-5 finishes during the shortened dual meet season, highlighted by a win in the 100 butterfly and a runner-up showing in the 100 backstroke against Cincinnati. He raced to second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 backstroke versus Kentucky while taking fourth and fifth, respectively, in those events against Notre Dame. For his efforts in the classroom, Sofianidis was named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Junior: Sofianidis continued to make a big impact in the backstroke and butterfly events during his third season with the Cardinals. At the ACC Championships, he finished eighth in the 100 backstroke (47.05), 12th in the 200 backstroke (1:43.47), and 20th in the 100 butterfly (47.10). He won the 100 backstroke (48.17) at the NCAA Last Chance Meet and won the B-final of the 100-meter backstroke (55.17) at the Toyota U.S. Open. At the Purdue Invitational, he raced to fourth in the 100 backstroke (47.99), fifth in the 200 backstroke (1:46.31), and 11th in the 100 butterfly (48.49). Sofianidis recorded 12 top-6 finishes throughout dual meet competition, highlighted by a runner-up showing in the 100 butterfly (48.88) against Northwestern. He also finished third in the 100 backstroke (49.20) versus Kentucky. For his performances in both the pool and in the classroom, Sofianidas was awarded ACC Honor Roll honors.

Sophomore: Sofianidis qualified for his first NCAA Championships as a sophomore, recording a personal best time in the 100 back with a time of 46.00 and a season best time in the 200 back with a time of 1:42.45. At the ACC Championships, Sofianidis registered a top-eight finish in the 100 back, taking sixth in a time of 46.09. He also added individual points with 15th place finishes in the 200 back (1:45.11) and 100 fly (46.61). He tallied a number of top-eight finishes at the IU Invitational, including a sixth in the 100 back (47.25), seventh in the 200 back (1:45.21) and seventh in the 100 fly (47.05). In the dual meet season, Sofianidis registered 10 top-three finishes, highlighted by a sweep of the 100 and 200 back in the victory over Xavier. For his efforts in the classroom, Sofianidis was named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Freshman: Sofianidis became an immediate contributor for the Cards in the backstroke and butterfly events as a freshman. He scored 53.5 individual points for Louisville at the ACC Championships, registering a fifth place finish in the 200 back with a time of 1:41.86. Additionally, he qualified for finals in both the 100 back (46.78) and 100 fly (46.84), finishing 11th and 14th respectively. Sofianidis was also a member of the silver medal winning 400 medley relay, splitting a 46.53 on the butterfly leg. At the Winter National Championships, he finished sixth in the 200 back (1:43.50), eighth in the 100 back (47.47) and 10th in the 100 fly (47.14). Sofianidis also competed for Greece at the European Championships, swimming the 100M (55.26) and 200M back (2:03.21). At the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mesa, he qualified for finals in the 100-meter back (56.70), 200-meter back (2:06.10) and 100-meter fly (55.72). Sofianidis was a major part of the Cards’ win over Kentucky in the dual meet season, placing second in the both the 100 and 200 back. For his performances both in the pool and in the classroom, Sofianidis was named to the All-ACC Academic Team and was recognized as a CSCAA Scholar All-America.

Prep: Nikolaos joins the Cardinal international contingent, bringing a wealth of international-level experience to the University of Louisville. For his home country, he won two bronze medals at the European Junior Championships and was a World Junior Championship finalist. Swimming for the PAOK club team under coach Anastasios Chatzigeorgiou, he became the National Junior Champion in the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke events.

Personal: Son of Iguatios Sofiavidis and Anastasia Konstantiuidou. Born on April 25, 1998.