Lilly Higgs, a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American from William Amos Hough High School and SwimMAC Carolina, has made a verbal commitment to swim at the University of North Carolina in the fall of 2018. She will join SwimMAC teammates Heidi Lowe and Sophie Lindner, as well Grace Countie from Marlins of Raleigh, in the class of 2022.
“Very happy to announce my verbal commitment to a place that has always had a special spot in my heart? can’t wait to continue my academics and swimming career at UNC Chapel Hill! Thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way!!! #GOHEELS”
Higgs has represented the Bahamian National Swim Team since 2013, and has competed at FINA Junior World Championships (2015, 2017), Junior Pan Pacific Championships (2016), and Youth Commonwealth Games (2017) under the Bahamian flag. She holds the national records in the LCM 50 breast (32.52) and 100 breast (1:11.18), in addition to numerous age group records.
Higgs has been a member of the Hough High School swim team since her freshman year, and contributed to its 4A state titles in each of the past two years. At the 2017 NCHSAA 4A State Championships she placed third in the 200 IM (2:02.61) and second in the 100 breast (1:02.19), and swam legs on the 200 medley relay (28.68 breaststroke) and 200 free relay (24.25 leadoff). Swimming with SwimMAC at 2016 Winter Juniors East, she competed in the 100 back, 100/200 breast, and 200/400 IM, making the B finals in both breaststrokes. She also made top-16 in the 100 breast at 2017 Summer Juniors.
SCY times:
- 100 breast – 1:01.58
- 200 breast – 2:14.08
- 200 IM – 2:02.23
- 50 free – 23.95
- 100 free – 52.11
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].
Did her parents swim at UNC?
Third generation is way cool! I’d love to have had a little info about her family peeps who were in those first two generations, ‘specially since that’s what drew me to read the article…
Emma Cole and Grace Countie are also second-generation Tar Heels. DeSelm and co. doing a good job of getting these recruits with a connection to the program!
Only recruits he’s getting…three best recruits are all alumni kids…parents swam with or under DeSelm and know nothing else. Countie committed way back in spring. UVA better school and way better sprint coach…you telling me she wouldn’t have at least looked if not for the parents/Deselm connection. Sorry…UNC hanging on by a thread
I’d agree that Countie could (and should) have committed to a better school. And I do think DeSelm’s job security is definitely questionable. However, with the successes of Caroline Baldwin and Hellen Moffitt, two people who excel in shorter races, the call to go to UNC, a school 30 minutes away from Countie’s hometown and a school both her parents went to, I think that she’ll flourish.
That’s not to say that another school (like a UVA, or an NC State) wouldn’t provide her with success, but that UNC will provide her (and all her fellow recruits) with success.
50 free a 52??? Anne must be having a bad day keeps getting all these times wrong!
50 free of 23.95, 100 free of 52.11. And let’s not push down the hard-working people of SwimSwam who give us so much content and mess up on one recruit’s time.
It was wrong before.