Sprint free/backstroker Jackson Defore will be staying in state next season, as he’s verbally committed to join the Florida State Seminoles in the fall. Defore will make the move to Tallahassee after graduating from Venice High School.
Defore only recently moved to Tennessee from Florida, so his high school state meet last season was the Florida 3A State Championships, where he competed for Venice High School. There, he was a 2-time finalist with his 2nd place finish in the 100 back and 7th place finish in the 50 free.
Shortly after, Defore went on the compete in the 2015 Speedo Winter Junior Nationals (West). He posted a personal best 48.95 to win the 100 back C-final at that meet. In addition, he clocked best times in the 50 free (20.92) and 100 fly (50.36).
Defore’s Top Times:
| Event | Best Time |
| 50 free | 20.92 |
| 100 free | 46.29 |
| 100 back | 48.95 |
| 100 fly | 50.36 |
Defore is within tenths of the time it took to score in the 100 back at last season’s ACC Championships, so he has a shot at scoring as a freshman at the conference meet. At FSU, he’ll be training with backstroker Connor Kalisz, a finalist in the 100 back at 2016 ACCs. He’ll also have 50 free finalist Chad Mylin as a training partner for the sprint freestyles.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email to [email protected].
AB