Ohio’s Cooper Hodge Verbally Commits to Wisconsin

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Cooper Hodge, a senior at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, has given a verbal commitment to the University of Wisconsin class of 2020.

“I chose Wisconsin because I am completely confident that the coaching staff can help me reach my goals. Also, Madison is a lovely place that I could really see myself grow outside of the pool.”

Hodge swims for Mason Manta Rays and is an all-around utility player with national time standards in IM, back, breast, and fly. Illness has kept him out of the pool for much of the past year, so most of his best times are from his sophomore year in high school, or from an untapered meet during in December of his junior year. This summer at NCSA Summer Swimming Championships, however, he notched a PB in the 200m back and 400m IM, and came very close to his best 100/200m breast and 200m IM times. Hodge’s best times from the last two years include:

Even with the difficulty of being in and out of the water for much of his junior year, Hodge still managed a fifth-place finish in the 200 IM at the 2015 Ohio State High School Division I Championships, and a 15th in the 100 back.

Hodge is still a couple of seconds away from scoring at B1Gs in his key events (IMs, 200 breast, 200 back), but if he stays healthy this year and progresses in short-course yards the way he did in meters over the summer (he dropped 3.7 seconds in the 400 IM, for example), he will arrive in Madison capable of scoring in any number of events.

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