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Emma Gatzke of the Elmbrook Swim Club in suburban Milwaukee has verbally committed to Arizona State University. A rising high school senior, Gatzke is a member of the high school class of 2021.
At last year’s Wisconsin High School Division I State Championship meet, for the state’s biggest high schools, Gatzke finished 5th in the 200 yard freestyle. That’s one spot better than she finished the year prior as a sophomore racing for the Waukesha South/Mukwonago Co-Op.
While Gatzke’s high school team has raced several meets this season, she does not yet appear in the WISCA results database for this season, instead focusing on club competition.
Best Times in Yards:
- 50 free – 24.61
- 100 free – 52.62
- 200 free – 1:52.48
- 500 free – 5:06.49
- 1000 free – 10:29.56
- 1650 free – 18:02.47
- 100 back – 55.98
- 200 back – 2:01.68
While Gatzke’s best finish at the state meet has been in the 200 free, her best events are actually the 100 and 200 yard backstrokes. Her best time in the 100 back came at a pre-state level of the Wisconsin post-season, while her best 200 back came last March at the Wisconsin LSC State Championship meet.
The Arizona State women last season had success in both the distance freestyles and the 100 backstroke, at least, at the Pac-12 Championships. That included the runner-up in the 200 free Emma Nordin and the 7th-place finisher in the 100 back Chloe Isleta (who has exhausted her eligibility).
The Sun Devils have opted to redshirt their entire team this season because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and so its unclear who will opt to take advantage of that and the NCAA’s offer of an extra year of eligibility for winter sport athletes. As it sits, however, rising senior Camryn Curry (53.82) will be the team’s top returner in the 100 yard backstroke, and rising junior Lizzy Spears (1:57.86) will be their top returner in the 200 yard backstroke.
She joins Ange Harris and Izabella Adame in a small class of 2021 for the Sun Devils. That small class will likely be supplemented with some internationals, as they’ve done the last few years, but ultimately may benefit the team as they try to manage the scholarship load with the extra seasons of eligibility.
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