Winter Juniors Finalist Brian Lee Commits to Columbia

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Bellevue Club Swim Team’s Brian Lee has announced his verbal commitment to Columbia University for the fall of 2022.

“It has been a long time dream of mine to continue my athletic and academic career at an Ivy League institute. Columbia University’s unparalleled educational structure and the devoted team made it a place that I would absolutely love to be a part of and contribute to. Thank you so much to all of my coaches, teammates, friends, and family for their unwavering support throughout this amazing journey. GO LIONS! #ROARLIONROAR”

Lee graduated from Bellevue International School in Washington, about 12 miles east of Seattle. He was a six-time finalist at the 2021 Winter Juniors meet in December, finishing highest in the 100 fly in 3rd place with a Summer Nationals qualifying time of 46.81. He also earned 9th place in the 200 fly with a best time of 1:47.33, his first Summer Juniors cut in the event, and helped both of Bellevue Club’s medley relays to 6th place finishes. Lee blasted a lifetime best leadoff time on their 4×100 freestyle relay which placed 22nd and he matched his best 50 free time (from earlier in the meet) while leading off their 4×50 freestyle relay which took 21st place.

Lee competed in the 100 meter fly at the 2022 U.S. World Championship Trials in April, placing 29th with a time of 54.62. He then was scratched into the ‘C’ final where he ultimately placed 6th (54.85). Most recently, he raced at the 2022 Mel Zayjac Jr. International meet in Vancouver, British Columbia, taking 3rd place in the 100 meter fly (55.35) and 6th place in the 50 meter fly (25.13).

Top SCY times:

• 100 fly – 46.81 
• 200 fly – 1:47.33 
• 50 free – 20.52 
• 100 free – 45.47 

Columbia men are coming off a 5th place finish at the 2022 Ivy League Conference Championships under Jim Bolster who has been their head coach since 1984. Lee’s best times would have made him Columbia’s second-fastest 100 and 200 butterflyer at that championship meet in 5th place and 14th place, respectively. He also would have been their third-fastest 50 freestyler (in 21st place) and their fourth-fastest 100 freestyler (in 30th place.)

Lee will make an immediate impact in Columbia’s sprint butterfly group next season which has been led by class of 2022 graduate Jonas Kistorp for the past few years. He set their 100 fly program record at 45.76 to place 2nd in the event at the 2022 Ivy League Championships as Columbia’s only ‘A’ finalist. He also placed 3rd in the 50 free. With Kirstop gone, Lee is the closest class of 2022 recruit to his 100 fly record, about one second off. Adam Wu is the next-fastest sprint butterflier in the class of 2022 commits; his lifetime best long course time of 55.00 converts to a 48.18 in short course yards.

Rising junior Seungjoon Ahn, who placed 3rd in the 200 fly at the 2022 Ivy League Championships as Columbia’s only A or B finalist, still leads their 200 butterfliers.

Lee also joins Michael Zhang, Isaac Beers, Ali Hassan, Zion James, Sam Eckert, Seth Roach, and Matthew Lou in Columbia’s class of 2022 verbal commitments.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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