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Olympic Trials Qualifier Luke Waldrep Verbals to Auburn, Taking Baton from Sister Ellie

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Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Luke Waldrep has verbally committed to swim and study at Auburn University beginning in the 2025-26 school year. He will just miss overlapping with his older sister Ellie Waldrep, a junior on the Tigers’ women’s team who qualified for NCAAs in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

“I’m beyond excited and honored to announce my commitment to Auburn University to further my academic and athletic career. I’d like to thank my family and friends for all of their support throughout this process. War Eagle 🦅 🦅🦅”

Waldrep is a junior at Baylor School. He swims year-round with Baylor Swim Club and will be the sixth member of his club team to continue in the Baylor-to-Auburn tradition.

At the Tennessee TISCA high school state championships in February 2024, Waldrep placed 2nd in both the 200 IM (1:48.14) and 500 free (4:24.00). He also led off the runner-up 200 and 400 free relays (20.74 and 45.53). Waldrep came away with PBs in the 50/100/500 free and 200 IM at the state meet.

In club swimming, Waldrep had a big meet at last December’s Winter Juniors East. He earned PB in the 200 free, 500 free, 1650 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly and placed 16th/18th in the 500/1650 free, respectively. He also clocked a best time in the 400 free in the LCM time trials. In March, he competed at Southern Premier and logged a pair of PBs in the 200 free and 200 fly while placing 3rd in the 400 IM, 4th in the mile, and 6th in the 200 fly. He kicked off the 2024 long course season the next day at the Dynamo-hosted time trials, earning an Olympic Trials cut in the 400 IM with 4:23.39.

Best SCY times:

  • 200 IM – 1:48.14
  • 400 IM – 3:50.47
  • 500 free – 4:24.00
  • 200 free – 1:37.79
  • 1650 free – 15:28.03
  • 1000 free – 9:18.03
  • 200 fly – 1:50.21

Waldrep will join the Tigers in the fall of 2025 with Luke Bedsole, Finnley Conklin, and Maston Ballew. It took 1:45.93/3:49.10 in the IMs and 4:20.27/15:24.93 in the 500/1650 free to score at the SEC conference level this season.

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Coach Rudy Aguilar
6 months ago

Atta boy Luke!!! WOOOOO!!! 🅱️❤️‍🔥😎

Ellie Waldrep
6 months ago

So proud of you Luke!! You will do amazing things at AU. Proud sibling moment to say the least🥰

Will H
6 months ago

Luke is a great teammate and hard worker, they are going to enjoy having another Waldrep at the program

SwimFanTN
6 months ago

GBR!!

Chad
6 months ago

man’s fast

Oceanian
6 months ago

“Verbals to Auburn”

What a strange phrase.

Oceanian
Reply to  Oceanian
6 months ago

I think the only real word that rhymes with ‘verbals’ is probably gerbils.

Maybe ‘furballs’ but that’s hardly a proper word either.

Oceanian
Reply to  Braden Keith
6 months ago

After a quick google search (only looked at first three pages of results) it seems that SwimSwam articles are the only ones to have ever used this weird word (when not discussing grammar).

Just like SwimSwam is the only place where Oceanian records or swimmers are described as ‘Oceanic’. Oceanic meaning ‘from or of the sea’ – Oceanian means ‘of or from Oceania’.

Just one of my pet peeves lol – forgive me, it’s my birthday.

Baylor
6 months ago

Baylor Leads!!!!

Coach Brooks
6 months ago

Congrats Luke!! Proud of you! Your hard work, dedication & character will continue to serve you at the next level! 🅱️💪

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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