Madeine VerDouw

BISMARCK – Standing atop the starting blocks at a meet with multiple state titles attached to your name brings expectations that can overwhelm even seasoned competitors. For Bismarck High standout Madeline VerDouw, staying at the pinnacle of North Dakota high school swimming has required a rare blend of self-awareness, curiosity, and an innate love for racing.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is that you can only control yourself,” The senior said. “I try my best to not get too into my head before big races because it only causes me to spiral. Instead, I stay as calm as possible and don’t think too much about the race or the other swimmers in my heat. I only think about what I can control and how I can do my best.”

That steady maturity has guided one of the Western Dakota Association’s most prolific high school careers. A four-time All-WDA selection and four-time individual state champion, VerDouw has been a fixture atop podiums. Yet her path to elite status didn't come through a family background in competitive aquatics—it started with trial, error, and an honest realization about ball sports.

“I started at the basics with swimming lessons, and when I was about eight years old, my parents put me into a swim clinic and it just stuck from there,” VerDouw recalled. “Neither of my parents swam, so this was new to all of us! I loved how swimming was individual and I felt most confident in it. I also played soccer, basketball, and softball, but I am not the most coordinated person in the world, especially when it comes to using a ball in a sport. When I felt better about swimming, I knew it was for me.”

By second grade, she was entering club meets and capturing age-group awards. When Madeline transitioned to high school level meets, her journey took on a unique dual identity: while she attends classes daily at Bismarck St. Mary’s Central High School, she competes in the water for Bismarck High through the athletic co-op program.

Representing both schools is a responsibility she embraces with pride.

“I am so thankful to be able to co-op because I feel like I can be with so many more people,” VerDouw said. “As a Saint, and being one of the only swimmers in our school, it makes me feel like I’m representing our school well and showing that you can still do great things from a smaller school.”

While VerDouw admits she was once an anxious seventh grader competing against older competitors, Bismarck High head coach Emily Poppe has watched that nervous energy transform into pure competitive drive.

“Maddie likes to go fast,” Poppe said. “She’s always really enjoyed racing, but as she’s continued to get stronger and faster and more successful, it’s become very clear that she loves swimming fast.” 

Swimming fast is indeed the goal and Poppe said you can see it in her body language. “Even if she is nervous, as soon as she hits the water and remembers how much she loves to race and go fast, that drive takes over and she just does her thing.”

That speed comes attached to versatile technical ability. While VerDouw points to the breaststroke as her favorite race—especially the 100-yard breaststroke in high school and the 50 breaststroke in club action—she has been an elite multi-event threat across distances and strokes.

“She certainly excels in IM and breaststroke events, but she’s also a fantastic mid-distance and backstroke swimmer,” Poppe noted. “She swam the 500 at State her eighth and ninth grade years, so when she wanted to try the IM again at State, we made a plan to really focus on improving efficiency in the first half of the race and closing speed in the back half. Keeping her IM in mind, she put a lot of work into her 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 backstroke to check all those boxes, and that continues to pay off.”

Behind the victories sits an uncompromising year-round schedule. During the meat of the high school calendar, VerDouw balances daily morning training—alternating between pool workouts, weightlifting, and mobility sessions—with intense 90-minute afternoon pool practices, maintaining a similar workload throughout the club off-season.

What elevates her, according to Poppe, is how she approaches that daily labor.

“Maddie comes to every workout and practice with the intention of getting better, and she updates her personal goals all the time,” Poppe said. “She’s the type of athlete who doesn’t only love the product of her hard work, but she loves to take an active role in her growth and development to get the end product she wants. The beginning of each of her seasons has been super fun because she approaches a lot of her goals with curiosity. Thoughts like ‘maybe I can go this fast’ or ‘what if I can break that school record’ start out as hypotheticals, and then throughout the season she has so much fun watching herself improve.”

Defending titles naturally invites outside pressure, but VerDouw relies on a healthy mental boundary: recognizing that no single race defines her.

“A good swimmer has to be mentally strong,’’ VerDouw said. “This is just as much a mental sport as it is physical. “I always push through and finish the race or finish my workout. I also don’t like to get super upset about a loss. If I don’t reach my goal when I wanted to, no worries. I have other opportunities to reach it!”

Poppe credits that transparent, grounded approach for keeping VerDouw resilient under the spotlight.

“Maddie does a great job of confronting that pressure rather than trying to ignore or avoid it,” Poppe said. “She’s a fantastic communicator and knows how to use her social resources—teammates, family, coaches, friends—to help work those emotions out when she needs to. She also prioritizes doing fun and relaxing things to recharge that don’t involve her sport. Striking the right balance is super helpful, and she’s a great example to her teammates in that way.”

That presence has cemented VerDouw as an anchor in the Demons’ camp, setting a standard that resonates across every lane.

“Maddie leads by example, and it’s been really cool to watch how her example has helped shape the culture of the team,” Poppe added. “She sets a great tone at the beginning of every practice, and even when it’s a tough one, she’s encouraging, hardworking, and joyful. That has a ripple effect into the lanes next to her.”

Her competitive journey will continue next year in Vermillion, South Dakota, where she will swim at the NCAA Division I level for the University of South Dakota.

“I couldn't be more excited,” VerDouw said. “Go Yotes!”

Poppe has no doubts about VerDouw’s ceiling at the collegiate level, noting that her relationship with adversity will serve her well in the Summit League.

“She’s a really cool kid and tackles every day in the pool fearlessly,” Poppe said. “She’s not afraid to work hard, she’s not afraid to feel pressure or anxiety, and she’s not afraid of failure. She views every failure as a learning experience and uses it to succeed later. Athletes like that don’t come around every day.”

Even as high-profile collegiate races loom on the horizon, VerDouw’s fondness for her prep career remains rooted in the simple moments of camaraderie that defined her six years with the program.

“The thing I’m going to miss the most about high school season would definitely be the bus rides and the overnight meets,” VerDouw said. “I have created some of the best memories from these times, and it’s sad to see them go.”

Photo courtesy of Lorlyn Joyce