Tyler Titsch heads slightly south by verbally committing to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNC-Wilmington), which is roughly a four-hour drive from his home in Yorktown, VA, where he swims for Grafton High School and Dave Henderson’s South Eastern Virginia Aquatics (SEVA).
Titsch’s strength is in the long-sprint free races with good marks in the 100-yard free and 200-yard free, and that’s where he performs in the championship season.
At the Virginia 4A State Championships this past February, Titsch, as a 16-year-old, placed third in both the 100-yard and 200-yard free events. He did step to the top of the podium twice with his Grafton High School teammates to be honored as State Champions for winning the 400-yard free relay, which Titsch anchored, and the 200-yard free relay.
Titsch, who will still be 17-years-old through the short course season, is also a versatile swimmer with decent results in the back and fly. He improved his 100-yard fly and 100-yard back by three seconds in each between last SCY season and the previous. Add in his best 100-yard breaststroke result, which is from 2013, and it could add up to a strong future in the individual medley. Signs of a strong medley were hinted at in the 200-yard individual medley last season when he posted a 2:00.06.
Top SCY Times:
50-yard free: 21.91
100-yard free: 47.40
200-yard free: 1:42.84
100-yard back: 54.39
100-yard fly: 53.28
100-yard breaststroke: 1:02.38
200-yard IM: 2:00.06
As an anchor leg on his high school’s State Championship winning 400-yard free relay, coupled with his ability to improve upon his preliminary positions in the State finals, Titsch looks to be a competitor that produces his best when it matters. UNC-Wilmington’s head coach Jason Memont will like that.
Memont will lose seven of his senior men after this season. Two of them are 50-yard to 200-yard freestylers, and there are a couple who are counted on to deliver fly results. These are roles that Titsch can help fill, but his emerging results in the other strokes could put him a position where he can potentially deliver back and individual medley points too.