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Arlington, Virginia’s Lauren Hartel has announced her verbal commitment to Ohio University’s class of 2026. She will head to Athens in the fall of 2022.
“I am super excited to announce my verbal commitment to Ohio University! Thank you so much to my family and coaches for their support. I look forward to growing as a person, swimmer, and student at OU! Go Bobcats!”
Hartel is a junior at Yorktown High School. At the 2020 VHSL Class 6 State Swimming and Diving Championships in her sophomore season, she placed 4th in the 500 free with 5:02.73. Her best time in the event came in the fall of her freshman year at the 2019 TAC Big Southern Classic.
Hartel does her year-round swimming with Arlington Aquatic Club. She earned a number of best times last spring, beginning with February’s Potomac Valley Swimming February Distance Meet where she clocked a PB in the 1650 free. It marked a 5.1-second improvement off a month-old PB that was, in turn, a 3.6-second drop from her previous best performance. The following month she competed at the Potomac Valley Short Course Junior Championships and logged PBs in the 50 free and 100 back, while placing 16th in the latter. Hartel had another strong meet at the Sport Fair Winter Classic in December 2019. She finaled in the 200 free, 500 free, 200 back, and 400 IM and left the meet with new times in the 1000 free, 200 back, and 400 IM.
Top SCY times:
- 1650 free – 17:12.23
- 1000 free – 10:09.58
- 500 free – 4:58.49
- 200 free – 1:54.39
- 100 free – 54.90
- 50 free – 24.95
- 400 IM – 4:35.62
- 200 IM – 2:13.37
- 200 back – 2:09.77
- 100 back – 1:01.35
Katie Garrity. Her best 500 time would have scored in the B final (with Garrity). Hartel will overlap a year with Emma Fortman, who was an A finalist in the 500 (4th with 4:51.19) and 200 free (3rd with 1:47.81), and a B finalist in the 200 back (11th with 2:01.55). She will also swim with Morgan Croaning, Madeline Marks, and Grace Riddle.
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