On June. 15, senior Jane Kavanagh announced her commitment to swim at Notre Dame via Instagram.
Kavanagh’s swimming career started when she began lessons at the age of seven at the Westfield Area YMCA Devilfish, quickly noticing her natural talent and love for the sport. Swimming became more of a serious commitment in middle school, as it demanded more time, dedication and hard work to be successful.
Kavanagh has been a key contributor to the Blue Devil’s girls swim team throughout her 3 years in the program so far. One of Kavanagh’s many wins during her 2025-26 season was a time of 0:52.17 in the 100 free against Summit on Jan. 20. Kavanagh placed first and the Blue Devils came out with a 93-77 win over the Hilltoppers. Also, in the Blue Devils NJSIAA tournament final round for North 2 Group 4, Kavanagh placed first in the 100 back with a time of 0:57.41 despite the Blue Devils falling short to Bridgewater-Raritan last season.
Located in St. Joseph County, Indiana, Notre Dame is a Division I program competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the fastest swim conference in the country. The Fighting Irish women finished their season record 4-4 and in 11th place for the ACC championship held in Atlanta, GA during February.
One of the reasons Kavanagh selected the University of Notre Dame to continue her athletic and academic career was because of how drawn she was to the coaches. “They made me feel like more than just a swimmer and my times. I also knew I wanted a great academic program as well, so it just felt like a great fit all around,” Kavanagh emphasized.
The University of Notre Dame is considered one of the top universities in the country because of its strong academics and highly competitive admissions. Kavanagh plans to apply to the university for business to study at the Mendoza College of Business.
Senior teammate Desra Sonnek-Schmelz commented on Kavanagh’s all around work ethic: “Jane is a leader by example, she always puts her all into every single practice and keeps her teammates accountable simply through her leadership and hard work.”
Although Kavanagh is excited for her new beginning at the University of Notre Dame, she will never forget her experience and what she has learned from the WHS swim program. “I’m going to miss the environments at high school meets because everyone is cheering for one another and wants to see each other succeed.”
With one last year awaiting Kavanagh at WHS, she is eager to get back to work with her team and help the Blue Devils succeed for the 2026-27 season.
