Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Zac Ouzilou has announced his commitment to swim and study at Virginia Tech this coming fall. Ouzilou is a senior at Montgomery High School, located in Skillman, New Jersey. He also swims year-round with X-Cel Swimming.
Ouzilou shared his commitment on Instagram:
Ouzilou swims mid-distance freestyle, backstroke, and sprint butterfly. This summer, he competed at Summer Junior Nationals, recording his highest finish in the 100m backstroke with a season best time of 1:01.40. His other events at Juniors included the 50m freestyle (24.40), and the 100m fly (58.24).
Ouzilou’s sprint events have plateaued since 2021, however, his longer events like the 500 free and 200 backstroke have seen significant improvements this fall. This past January, Ouzilou clocked a 4:35.89 in the 500 free at the NJ PTAC Invite, marking a 12 second drop from his season best last year. Last December at a different club meet, he clocked a 1:48.21 200 backstroke to drop over two seconds from the best time he had set in March of 2022.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 free – 45.44
- 200 free – 1:39.97
- 500 free – 4:35.89
- 100 back – 48.93
- 200 back – 1:48.21
- 100 fly – 49.21
The Hokie men were runner-ups at the 2023 ACC Championships last month. Nico Garcia Saiz won the ACC title in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:39.49. Forest Webb joined him in the A-final of the event, and ended up placing 6th overall with a 1:41.40. The 100 backstroke was a weaker event for Virginia Tech, as their highest finisher was Webb at 11th (45.82). Will Koeppen also competed in the B-final and stopped the clock at 46.61 for 15th.
Ouzilou is outside of scoring range right now, but is closest in the backstroke events which is where he will likely turn his focus. Saiz is the only one of the three that will still be on campus next year, making Ouzilou’s arrival timely as they begin to rebuild depth in those events.
Ouzilou is joined by Brendan Whitfield, Daniil Pancerevas, Alex Zoldan, and Vedaant Madhavan in the Hokies’ incoming class of 2027. Madhavan and Pancerevas are both international athletes, while Whitfield and Zoldan are both from the East Coast. Zoldan and Madhavan are both distance freestylers, while Pancerevas does IM, and Whitfield focuses on free and backstroke.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour
Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.
FFT SOCIAL
Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster
FFT is a SwimSwam partner.
Congratulations and LET’S GO! 🦃🔥🦃🔥🦃