Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Casper Puggaard from Kastrup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, has signed a contract to swim and study at the University of California, Berkeley, beginning next fall. He wrote on social media:
“I am thrilled to finally announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at University of California, Berkeley! The recruiting period has been a long, but amazing journey, and I cannot thank everybody, that has been a part of it enough… THANK YOU ALL! It is something I will never forget. A big thank you to my family and friends for their guidance to get me where I am today, and an even bigger thank you to my Mom for helping me, supporting me, and being there for me both in my high and lows. I could not have done it without you! A big thank you to all the coaches at Berkeley especially Coach Dave, for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the team at Cal, to become a bear🐻 Looking forward to be swimming with the amazing team Cal has to offer! GO BEARS 💛🐻💙”
Puggaard set a Danish national and Nordic record in the LCM 100 fly in July 2024 at the Danish Championships, winning with 51.50. He had become the first Danish swimmer to break 52 seconds in the 100 fly at the 2024 Danish Open in April, when he clocked a 51.87 in prelims. He is also the Danish Junior record-holder in the 50 fly (23.49) and a member of the Danish squad that broke the Nordic record in the 4×100 medley relay (he split 50.8 on the fly leg) at the 2024 European Championships in June.
In 2023, Puggaard represented Denmark at both the European Junior Championships in Belgrade and World Junior Championships in Netanya. At Euro Juniors, he won the 50 fly (23.67) and 100 fly (52.67) and was a member of the winning mixed 4×100 medley and the runner-up men’s 4×100 medley relays. At Junior Worlds, he won the 50 fly (23.50) and 100 fly (52.30).
NCAA swimming runs in Puggaard’s blood. His mother, Berit Puggaard, was a Danish Olympian in 1992 and 1996. She also swam for SMU from 1992-1996 where she was a 13-time Southwest Conference Champion and a 25-time All American. All four seasons she was there, the Mustangs finished in the top four at NCAAs, and in 1996, they finished 2nd. In 1994 and 1995, she won the women’s 200 butterfly, swimming 1:57.99 and 1:57.86 respectively. She was also a member of two relay championships, the 800 freestyle in 1995 and the 400 medley in 1996. In 2022, she was inducted into the SMU Hall of Fame.
The 20-year-old Puggaard will suit up with Caiden Bowers, Dar Lavrenko, Ian Platts-Mills, Julien Rousseau, Kenneth Barnicle, Matteo Palmisani, Norvin Clontz, Ryan Erisman, Martin Wrede, Max Goettsch, and Nathan Wiffen next fall. His converted 100 fly time would be Cal’s second-fastest so far this season, behind only Dare Rose (44.55), and it would have been just .14 shy of qualifying for the B final at last year’s NCAA Championships. Rose is in his fifth and final year at Cal, so Puggaard will fill an immediate need upon arrival.
Best LCM times (converted)
- 50 fly – 23.49 (20.53)
- 100 fly – 51.50 (45.13)
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].
About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour
Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.
FFT SOCIAL
Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster
FFT is a SwimSwam partner.
When you bring in champions and pay them under the table 10s of 1000s, it’s not just unfair but illegal.
No, not Puggaard, but other swimmers.
…………………………..it’s not illegal nor is it against the rules and lots of schools are paying swimmers so I’m not sure I understand what you’re on about?
“under the table”
I didn’t realize swimming parents were so xenophobic. Berkeley is a global university with students (not just swimmers) from all over the world. And California HS kids have global options themselves – plenty of US students attend the likes of Cambridge, Oxford, etc. if they are smart enough. Why would a college swim team adhere to a different standard?
Welcome, you must be new here! The jingoism is strong here in the comments section.
Now we’re intentionally conflating taking 1 of 30 roster spots with being one of 25,000 students 🙄
My issue is with you thinking international kids are “taking” roster spots from US kids. They are earning them.
California/US HS swimmers don’t have some inherent right to a spot on Cal’s swimming roster just because of where their parents live. Cal has a ton of California kids on their roster. If you’re fast enough, they’ll take you. If not, that spot will go to a faster kid from another state or country. That’s how the world works.
And the closest comparison you could find was only at almost a 1000:1 ratio. If they came over and only did club swimming, we’d have a much more apt, and honest, comparison to your Oxford or Cambridge scenario.
What are you on about 1000:1?! International students make up 46% of students at Oxford: https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/full-version-facts-and-figures#:~:text=Oxford%20international,than%20160%20countries%20and%20territories.
In terms of sport, by far the most prestigious is rowing (crew). Last year in the Boat Race, half of rowers in the men’s boats had a non-British nationality.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boat_Race_2024
There are 26000 students, being compared to only 30 roster spots. That’s fairly close to 1000:1 for rough math. And we’re again comparing club sports with 0 roster limitations to non club sports with roster limits.
Ps. it’s year 249 of we’re under no obligation to be like y’all 🤣
U.S. high school kids have the opportunity to go to college wherever they want in the world. If you start restricting colleges from taking kids from outside of a specific geography, all you’re doing is limiting opportunities for the kids long-term.
No, you can do what you like, but if the US shuts up shop to the world’s best it doesn’t speak much to confidence in the quality of your own swimmers.
My general experience of the US is it’s a society that revels in competition, celebrates excellence and wants to make as much damn money as possible. That seems to be exactly what these programmes are doing by doing everything they possibly can to win.
Congrats for him!
BTW, I went back and looked at 2010 NCAA results. Cal’s team was about 50% internationals, so this isn’t exactly new. What is new is a :46 no longer gets a spot in the A final of 100 fly.
It was the same way when I swam there in the 90s and had been long before that. Parents feign outrage at this “new” phenomenon when their kid doesn’t get the recruitment they feel they’re entitled to.
Congrats to this kid who’s surely worked his butt off to earn his opportunity to compete at the D1 level. Roll on you Bear!!
Cal’s international shtick is worse than the Shackell situation imo
Great addition for the Bears. wishing him a great college career.
Casper will fill the fly gap left when Dare Rose leaves.
Durden has the formula.
Serious question for someone who actually knows the answer:
– Roster is capped at 30
– 25 swimmers will be left after current seniors graduate
– 12 incoming freshmen, but likely more because these programs tend to add internationals in the summer
– None of these numbers include diving and divers count towards the cap of 30
If you’re an incoming Cal freshman who can do math, are you eligible to enter the transfer portal?
I’m surprised he’s not going to SMU.
No, for real. His mother is Berit Puggaard, who won the 200 fly at NCAAs twice as well as two relay titles and helped the Mustangs to a runner-up finish as a team in 1996.
I see the resemblance but had no idea. Berit was such a hard worker and fierce competitor.
Oops. I got it wrong. He’s not her son, but he is her nephew.