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A year after having made a verbal commitment to Kentucky, Chase Swearingen has announced his intention to swim and study at Texas A&M University beginning next fall. He wrote on social media:
“I am so blessed to have met so many wonderful people during my recruiting process over the past year. It has been a long journey, and I am so grateful for everyone that has supported me throughout this past year. With that being said though, I am so happy to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Texas A&M University. I would like to thank my coaches, friends, and my family, for helping me get to this point in my career. I also want to thank the coaches at Texas A&M for the wonderful opportunity. Gig’em!👍🔴⚪️”
Swearingen hails from Westerville, Ohio. He is a senior at Westerville Central High School and does his year-round swimming with New Albany Aquatic Club. We named him an “Honorable Mention” recruit on our list of top boys from the high school class of 2024.
Swearingen was the top 100 flyer in the class as a sophomore. He still excels in fly but has also made huge strides in the 50 free and the 200 IM since last year. At the 2023 OHSAA Division I State Championships, he won the 200 IM (1:46.67) and was runner-up in the 100 fly (48.21), just over a second slower than he’d been with this 3rd-place finish in 2022.
At NSCA Spring Championships, he competed in the 50 free (11th), 50 breast (3rd), 100 breast (17th), 50 fly (2nd), and 100 fly (3rd) and took home lifetime bests in all but the 100 fly. His best 100 fly comes from prelims at High School States.
This summer Swearningen focused on sprints, swimming the 50 free (23.50), 100 free (53.74), 50 fly (25.20), and 100 fly (55.89) at Columbus Sectionals. He came in 12th in the 50 free, 7th in the 50 fly, and 10th in the 100 fly and earned PBs in all four events.
Best SCY times:
- 50 fly – 20.99
- 100 fly – 46.85
- 200 fly – 1:47.92
- 200 IM – 1:46.67
- 50 free – 20.31
- 50 free relay split – 19.73
- 100 free relay split – 44.43
- 100 breast – 54.85
In the last year, he has improved .8 in the 50 fly, .3 in the 100 fly, .2 in the 50 free, .3 in the 100 breast, and a whopping 7.8 in the 200 IM.
Swearingen will join #5 Jacob Wimberly, Seth Tolentino, and Ben Sytsma in the Aggies’ class of 2028.
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Bad time for him right now
Does he know?
Wishing all the best, Chase!! Ohio kids do pretty well down in Texas! 🙂
Add another successful Ohioan swimmer to the list of Ohio to Texas pipeline success!!!!!
Westerville Central High School*******
What is a commitment nowadays, so many kids commit somewhere and then just go somewhere else.
Yeah maybe we should change the language. To “intent.”
I’m okay with updating the language of the matter (I’m not going to do it unilaterally), but I stop short of the critique. Coaches leave programs all the time as well.
The rules and incentives and disincentives have changed. I think it makes the system better and more fair and encourages coaches to be better (as people, as coaches). I think that’s good. I do think it makes the competitive teambuilding part less fun. But that’s just a tradeoff.
In fairness to the kids, when coaches leave it is not the same team, training or environment that they “verbally committed to” during their process. They are not even guaranteed that their “offer” will be honored. This is a difficult decision for “teenagers” to make as it will affect the next 4 years of their lives and the teams.
Amen! Exactly… people seem to forget that these are teenagers making hard decisions and when coaches leave and drama happens it creates uncertainty and nothing against the new staff but it makes the uncertainty real. Way to go Chase for finding your new home! You will do amazing!
This is sad, because UK men are in much better shape now with the new coaching staff. I guess people just don’t get it
Yes they might be, but at the same time Texas A&M is going to be significantly better than Kentucky, they have Wimberly, and now Chase, on top of a stacked past 2 recruiting classes, we will be seeing A&M at the top.
Not sure if the other formerly committed UK recruits ‘get it’ but this one does. Chase took his time, evaluated all his options including continuing to communicate with UK and make a choice he and his mom are comfortable with and excited about. While A&M is not Texas, it’s certainly a consistently better performing program by miles over the UK men’s program
It is different to immediately switch up on Kentucky like some of the other kids did. Chase spent time with his family and other coaches evaluating his situation and the current climates of all of his possible options and made an informed decision that is now his best fit. Just because Kentucky got a new coaching staff and Chase decided to not pursue UK anymore, does not discredit UK as a program it just means that this wasn’t the fit for him anymore. I am proud of Chase for self-advocating and choosing the right fit! Congratulations Chase!!!!
what did i say!
Gig ‘em. Welcome to the Aggie family Chase!
Aggies are looking great! Gig’em!