Kim Herkle

Saturday Morning at the ACC Swim & Dive Championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, GA. (Photo: Mooreshots LLC)

Photo by: Mooreshots LLC

Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics

The 15 Cardinals posed at the Georgia Pool at NCAA practice

Praasterink and Herkle throw up their L's

Class:
Graduate Student
Position:
Breaststroke/IM
High School:
Helmholtz Gymnasium
Hometown:
Stuttgart, Germany

PRONUNCIATION

2025-26: At the NCAA Championships, Herkle placed 47^th in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:12.22. At the ACC Championships, she finished eighth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:07.52. She also took third in the 400-yard IM B-final with a 4:07.64. She wrapped up action taking seventh in the 200-yard IM B-final with a 2:57.21. She was also named to the All-ACC Academic team. During the Dual Meet Season: Facing Xavier she competed in the 100-yard breaststroke, where she finished third with a time of 1:02.76. She then competed in the 200-yard backstroke where she placed second with a time of 2:01.18. Afterwards she competed in the 200-yard IM, finishing first with a time of 2:02.20. During the SMU Classic, she competed in the 400-yard IM where she placed first in the championship heat with a time of 4:13.72. She shifted over to the 100-yard breaststroke championship heat, where she placed third with a time of 1:02.36. Next was the 200-yard IM, where she finished first in the championship heat with a time of 1:59.79. She then moved on to the 200-yard backstroke, where she finished first in the championship heat, and garnered a time of 2:10.53. In the meet against Notre Dame, she finished first in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:11.13. At the Ohio State Invite, she placed third in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:09.07) and the 200-yard IM (1:57.98). In the meet against Missouri, she finished second with a time of 2:10.52. She also competed in the 200-yard IM, where she finished second with a time of 159.15. At the Texas Showdown, she placed third in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:09.58) and fourth in the 400- yard IM (4:11.10). During the University of Cincinnati meet, Herkle finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:09.71. Later, she competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay, coming in second, with a 22.03 split.

2024-25: At the 2025 German National Championships, Kim was second in the 200M IM (2:15.75) and fourth in both the 400M IM (4:47.10) and the 200M Breast (2.29.99). At the NCAA Division I Championships in Federal Way, Washington, she was 19^th in the 200 breast, and 34^th in the 400 IM (4:12.03) and 39^th in the 200 IM (1:57.26). At the ACC Championships, she was in the consolation final of the 200 breast, where she finished 10^th (2:07.98) and the 400 IM where she finished 11^th (4:09.26). She was 20^th in the 200 IM (1:57.55). During the dual meet season, she was second in both the 200 breast (2:10.39) and the 400 IM (4:13.48) against Indiana. She was fourth in the 100 breasts (1:01.32) versus the Hoosiers. At Kentucky, she won the 200 breast (2:10.86) and fourth in the 200 IM (1:59.80). She had two wins at Missouri, touching first in the 200 breast (2:09.42) and the 400 IM (4:10.30). At Notre Dame, was second (2:10.76) and a pair of third place swims (200 back 1:56.62) and 100 back (53.54). At the SMU Classic, she recorded wins in the 400 IM (4:09.67) and 200 breast (2:09.88). She had three wins against Xavier touching first in the 200 back (2:01.18), 100 breast (1:03.07) and 200 IM (2:02.76).

2023-24: Kim became the German champion in the 200M IM with a time of 2:14.44. She also earned All-American honors as part of the 400 medley relay team at NCAAs. She was 33^rd in the 200 IM (1:57.39) and 18^th in the 400 IM (4:08.94) and 23^rd in the 200 breast (2:08.92). She was part of the 400 medley relay that finished ninth (3:29.11). At the ACC Championships in Greensboro, Kim won bronze in the 400 IM with a time of 4:09.89. She made the A-finals in the 200 IM where she finished seventh (1:57.74) and in the 200 breast where she finished fifth with a 2:08.61. During the dual meet season, at the SMU Classic, she was second in the 400 IM (4:09.46), second in the 200 breast (2:10.98) and the 200 IM (1:59.98). She got three second places against Tennessee with a 1:11.09 in the 100M breast, a 2:29.16 in the 200M breast and a 2:16.62 in the 200M IM. Against Notre Dame, she won the 100 breast (1:02.44) and the 200 IM (2:00.74). She had three wins against Missouri, taking the 100 breast (1:00.52), the 200 breast (2:09.82) and the 400 IM (4:12.72). Against rival Kentucky, she won the 200 breast and was second in the 200 IM (1:59.58). In the double dual with Wisconsin and Indiana, she was second in the 200 breast (2:10.08), third in the 400 IM (4:13.03) and fourth in the 100 breast (1:01.14). She won the 100 back against Cincinnati with a time of 1:56.74.

2022-23: Kim battled injuries for most of her sophomore year at UofL. She competed at the TYR Pro Series in Westmont, she finished fourth in the 400 IM finals (4:52.29), 11^th in the 200 breast with a 2:32.17 and 16^th in the 200 IM with a 2:19.42 in her first appearance of the season.

2021-22: Kim Herkle made an immediate impact in her first year as a Cardinal. She won the 200 breast in the meet with Xavier (2:15.51). At the SMU Classic, she was second in the 400 IM (4:13.56) and the 200 breast (2:11.29). Against Tennessee, she won the 200 IM (2:02.80) and was third in the 200 breast (2:13.75). She cut time in the 200 breast when she swam at Indiana, posting a 2:11.85. In the Battle of the Bluegrass, she handled the breaststroke events versus UK. She won the 200 breast against Cincinnati with a time of 2:11.21. At the Phillips 66 National Championships, she made the finals of the 200M breaststroke, finishing 14^th with a time of 2:30.67. She also made the finals in the 200M IM with a 2:16.72 which placed her 14^th. A star student, Kim was named to the ACC Academic Honor and the University of Louisville AD Honor Roll.

Prep: Kim came to Louisville from Stuttgart, Germany, where she was a stand-out breaststroker and IMer for SV Cannstatt, Herkle represents Germany internationally and most recently earned bronze in the 200m breast at the Euro Meet, where she also finished fifth in the 400m IM. She also registered four top-15 finishes at the Swim Cup Amsterdam. Herkle advanced to the semifinals in both the 50m breast and 200m breast at the European Junior Championships and swam on Germany’s fifth-place 4x100m medley relay. At the German National Championshipst, she placed third in the 200m breast, fourth in the 100m breast, and sixth in the 50m breastroke. Her club coach is Alexander Kreisel. A member of the German national team, she was the German national champion in the 200 breaststroke, is a national age-group record holder and qualified for the 2021 European Championships.

Personal: Daughter of Katja Herkle and Ralf Schaaf. Born Jan. 5, 2003. Major is psychology.