The daughter of sportswriter Pat Forde and his wife Tricia, the latter a former swimmer at Northwestern University, she grew up around the sport, with both of her older brothers going on to swim in NCAA Division I.

[4] According to a 2021 story by local Louisville journalist Rick Bozich, "As her parents remember it, Brooke had one swimming lesson.

Due to COVID-19, the NCAA granted all student-athletes in the organization's winter sports, including swimming & diving, an extra year of eligibility; Forde remained at Stanford in 2021–22, continuing to swim for the Cardinal while pursuing a master's degree in epidemiology.

[6] She earned a silver medal for swimming on the preliminary 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.

[7] She won the 400m individual medley at the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, her fourth overall title.