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Nation’s Capital distance swimmer Erika Chen has verbally committed to Northwestern University’s class of 2024.
Beyond excited and honored to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swim career at Northwestern University!! Thank you to all my friends, family, teammates, and coaches for supporting me through this process and helping me get to this moment. Go ‘Cats!!!!💜💜
TOP TIMES
- 100y free – 51.15 (50.66 relay split)
- 200y free – 1:49.19
- 500y free – 4:53.07
- 1650y free – 16:59.64
Chen is the two-time defending 200 free champion at the Washington Metro Prep League HS Championships, while she won the 500 free title in 2018 as a sophomore and placed fifth in 2019 as a junior. She split a 50.80 on the 400 free relay in 2019, which won the title, and a 50.66 in 2018 when they also won the title. She’s now a senior at Stone Ridge High School and teammates with top recruit Phoebe Bacon who has verbally committed to Wisconsin.
Northwestern is ramping up its ties to NCAP – current sophomore Jasmine Hellmer and 2020 verbal commit Jacob Rosner both train with, or have trained with, the club.
Chen has an impressive range and is able to sprint and go up to the mile in terms of distance. This summer, she set personal bests in long course in the 200 free (2:04.68), 400 free (4:20.13), 800 free (8:57.38), and 1500 free (17:01.58).
She’s not quite at B1G-level scoring right now, but she’s less than a second off of range in the 200 free. Northwestern’s only scorer in the 200, 500, and 1650 free combined last year was Ilektra Lebl with a 23rd-place finish in the mile, and Chen comes in at #2 on NU’s roster in the 200 free and #4 in the 500/1650 free based on last year’s top times list.
Chen joins Lola Mull, Annika Wagner, and Selen Ozbilen in NU’s class of 2024 on the women’s side.
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