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Distance specialist Brady Begin has announced his verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, beginning in the fall of 2024.
Begin currently attends Winston Churchill High School and swims year-round with Rockville Montgomery Swim Club out of Silver Spring, Maryland.
“I am excited to announce my verbal commitment to study and swim at UNC Chapel Hill! I would like to thank the UNC coaching staff and everyone who helped me get to this point. Go Heels!”
Begin is a pure distance freestyler, and holds a Speedo Summer Junior National qualifying time in the 1650 freestyle. Additionally, he holds Winter Junior qualifying times in the 800m free, 1500m free, and 1000y free. He is also quickly improving–he has dropped 15 seconds in the 500 over the course of this past year, 25 seconds in the 1000, and 38 seconds in the 1650.
Top SCY Times:
- 500 free – 4:33.39
- 1000 free – 9:23.40
- 1650 free – 15:34.00
Top LCM Times:
- 400m free – 4:05.75
- 800m free – 8:25.92
- 1500m free – 16:07.55
Begin is coming off a highly successful sophomore season and summer, where he clocked personal bests in all of his primary events in both short course and long course. He ended his summer at the NCSA Summer Championship, where he posted an 8th place finish in the 1500 with a best time of 16:07.55. He also earned 9th place in the 800 (8:25.92) and 15th in the 400 (4:07.69).
In February, Begin won the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) state title in the 500 free in a 4:33.44. Just a few weeks prior to the MPSSAA meet, he competed at the Metro Championships, where he was runner-up and set his personal best in the event at 4:33.39. Despite Metros being historically dominated by private schools, Begin’s public high school team, Winston Churchill, won both MPSSAAs and Metros last season.
UNC placed 7th out of 12 teams at last season’s ACC Championships. Begin’s best 1650 time would have placed 20th at last season’s meet, and would have made him the Tarheels’ second fastest performer in the event behind Patrick Hussey (15:11.69). Hussey will no longer be on campus by the time Begin arrives.
At the Tennessee Invite two weeks ago, freshman Patrick Sleater clocked a personal best time of 15:23.40, while freshman Spencer Freeman was less than two seconds off his own best time with a 15:35.22.
In addition to Sleater and Freeman, UNC also has Craig Bohlman signed to come in next fall. Bohlman owns best times of 9:24.40/15:40.02 in the 1000/1650. Between the four of them, UNC is building some much-needed depth in the distance freestyle events.
Begin joins North Carolina natives Nate Hohm and James Bennison, and Virginia native JT Schmid in UNC’s class of 2028. Hohm is a versatile sprinter, while Schmid and Bennison focus more on backstroke.
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