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Hannah Neilsen of Nashville, TN has announced her decision to swim for Boston College beginning in the 2021-2022 season. She swims year-round for Ensworth Aquatics and she is in her final year at St. Cecilia Academy.
I am so excited and grateful to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academics and swimming at Boston College. Thank you to my wonderful family and friends, those at @stceciliaacademy, and my coaches and teammates at @ensworthaquatics for making this possible! Can’t wait to be an Eagle!
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️In early February, Neilsen competed at the TISCA Tennessee State Championships in Knoxville. The St. Cecilia Academy senior swam the 100 breast and 200 IM and she was a member of her team’s 200 free and medley relays. She posted a time of 1:05.08 in the prelims heats of the 100 breast, earning a spot in the A-final. In finals, she jumped up a spot to earn the silver medal. Her new personal best time of 1:04.43 put her 0.44 seconds behind gold medalist Ella Platek of Saint John Paul II School.
Neilsen finished 18th in the 200 IM (2:12.91) narrowly missing the opportunity to swim the race in finals. She split a 50 free time of 25.92 while anchoring St. Cecilia’s 200 free relay which placed 27th. She swam the breaststroke leg of the medley relay in prelims and finals. The relay – which finished 13th in finals – was composed of Ava Cirigliano on back, Neilsen on breast, Margaret Gilles on fly, and Cindy Nguyen on free.
Neilsen most recently joined her club team as they competed at the Southeastern Swimming Championships. She swam the 50, 100, and 200 breast, the 50 fly and free, and the 200 IM, making it back in all 3 breaststroke events. She finished 11th in prelims for the 50 breast, clocking in at 31.32. She went 0.33 seconds slower in finals to finish 13th. Neilsen touched 5th in both prelims and finals of the 100 breast, going a 1:05.72 in finals. Finally, she finished 4th in the 200 breast, dropping 1.44 seconds between prelims and finals.
Neilsen has qualified for the Summer and Winter Junior Nationals Championships, based on 2019 time standards. In December of 2019, she swam a personal best time in the 200-yard breast at the 2019 Ensworth Aquatics Holiday meet, earning a Winter Juniors cut. Similarly, she earned a Summer Juniors qualifying time in the 100-meter breast at the Southeastern Long Course Champs in July of 2019.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 breast – 30.69
- 100 breast – 1:04.43
- 200 breast – 2:18.07
- 200 IM – 2:12.76
Neilsen will join the Eagles in the fall of 2021. She will train alongside the team’s top breastrokers Anna Milia and Alexa Lantin. Milia posted the team’s fastest 200 breast time last season and was followed closely by Lantin. Neilsen’s time would have placed her 0.57 seconds ahead of Milia for the top spot. Taylor Covington – a 2020 graduate – was Boston College’s fastest 100 breaststroke last season. Lantin was ranked second and Milia was third. Neilsen’s time would have put her 0.02 seconds behind Lantin.
Boston College has already received verbals from Samantha Smith, Olivia Howard, Megan Kramer, Mary Kate Leonard, Liza Murtagh, and Catherine Bradac for its class of 2025.
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