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Alex Mays from Maryville, Tennessee has announced his commitment to the University of North Carolina for the class of 2023.
“I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to the University of North Carolina! It’s always been a dream of mine to study and swim at one of the best universities in the country, and UNC is certainly one of them. I ultimately chose UNC because of their unparalleled academic and athletic resources, as well as the tight-knit and supportive team. Go Heels!”
Mays is a senior at Maryville High School. A USA Swimming All-American, he wrapped up his senior year high school season in February at the 2019 TISCA State Championships, winning the 200 medley relay (23.34 backstroke leadoff), finishing second in the 200 IM (1:51.95) and third in the 100 back (49.08), and swimming a leg on the runner-up 400 free relay (45.29). Mays does his year-round swimming with the club team Prime Aquatics. He is a Winter Juniors-or-better qualifier in the 100/200 back and 400 IM. He recently picked up a slew of new times at 2019 NCSA Spring Championship: 50/100/200 free, 50/200 back, and 100/400 IM. He finaled in the 100 back, 200 back, and 400 IM. Last summer he swam the 200 free, 100/200 back and 400 IM at Cary Futures. He placed 4th in the 200 back and 18th in the 100 back and scored new LCM bests in the both backstrokes (59.34/2:06.46) and the 400 IM (4:45.76).
Mays will begin in the fall of 2019 with Adam Kerr, Andrew Rafalko, and Gavin Mayo. He will overlap two years with backstrokers Patrick Cusick, Tyler Hill, and Christopher Thames and three years with Tucker Burhans. At 2019 ACC Championships, Mays would have been just 1/10 away from scoring in the 200 back and about 1 second off in the 100 back.
Top SCY times:
- 50 back – 23.30
- 100 back – 49.08
- 200 back – 1:47.29
- 200 IM – 1:51.95
- 400 IM – 3:59.75
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I’m sure Alex is a great student and athlete with good work ethic. And I wish him the best of luck!
But here’s a question:
What if the new head coach and staff don’t want Alex on the team? Since they did not recruit Alex in the first place, is it acceptable for the new staff to keyboard Alex know that they retract the offer? And again, the new staff may want to keep Alex on the team and everything would be great.
Then he chooses elsewhere. That’s always part of the risk of a verbal commitment – until a letter is signed, either side can change their mind. There’s a chance that Alex won’t like the new staff as well.
This guy already a senior, graduating in a month. Can a swimmer sign a binding NLI with a school that doesn’t have a coach? Not sure who would have the authority to offer it – just curious.
Another discussion or question- who is deciding on scholarship amount? Are these kids being offered a scholarship or just committing without any scholarship? This kid is probably good enough to be on some amount of scholarship, I am just wondering who is deciding? Assistants who may not even be a part of the next coaching staff?
He’s a senior, probably graduating in a month or so. He got into UNC from out-of-state which he may or may not have been able to do without swimming since it is incredibly competitive. All of his non-swimmer friends are finalizing their school choices now as well. Haters aside, it is a highly regarded Public Ivy and as someone who sponsored campus hiring nationally for a top household name firm I can assure you it is a big target school for many firms. It also has a great atmosphere and is a fun place to be. Maybe he sticks with swimming or not, but he has earned an opportunity for a great and fun college experience regardless of swimming. Congrats.
Yeah, have fun being dropped off in the middle of the woods 10-15 miles or so off campus and making your way back…. maybe stick a phone somewhere to smuggle it or a few quarters if pay phones are still around. Just a fun “team building trust” exercise….
What a shock to see a UVA fan with nothing but hate towards UNC
The doggo pic works kinda as bribery, yes?
Works for me!
Kids a diamond. Saw him compete back in January in Tennessee, loved how he attacked his races. Has a lot of room for growth
This is a bunch of hoopla (to put it nicely)…no one cares how you “attack races” thats why there are never scouts at HS swim meets…. you care about one thing, and one thing only… the final time. When is the last time you heard this: ” Ohh this kid swam a 100 free in 45…. he went out in 23.1 but came home in a 22.5 and went 45.6…… NEVER (or any example of anyones splits) compared to a kid who went 45 but went 20.2 and home in a 44.9…. thats a 45.1, but who would you rather have? The one who came home in 22.5 or the one who went faster?? So my point is that no… Read more »
Um. You haven’t really followed much developmental swimming, have you?
Yes and no. Final time is the important, but getting a kid that has been getting alot better and is similar times to another kid that has been at the same time for 3 years, I am choosing the improving kid every time. Alot of time their technique needs more work and they are newer to the sport, IE more improvement in the future.
This is why Swimswam often shows how much better kids have gotten in past few years
-Signed College Coach
Did you have a rough day?
2 cents- way more than time at play there bud. And yes, how its swum tells the coach more than you might think, namely if swum differently, what the outcome might be. Some outlier times speak for themselves, but looking at a bunch of 45 hundred frees, how they swam it, both splits and visually, absolutely matters.
I’m curious about why kids are committing to a program with no head coach (and uncertain staff)?
The school. I laugh at all these people that mention academic fraud. Yeah it happened-but was isolated to only a few sports and a few classes. I have met many Olympic sport athletes from UNC with extremely successful careers. Chapel hill is still a top 5 public university and always will be. The education for 99% has been and still is excellent. Add in a beautiful campus and culture kids will go there even without a coach. This is why alums are so frustrated it took this long to get a coaching change. The program should have never fallen apart like it did.
Successful careers where they were hired by another UNC alum I would bet is the case for most of those. But then again, that does happen anywhere…. those doing the hiring will prefer fellow alum over a non alum.
Man finds out networking exists, full story at 7pm Channel 5 News
25+ years, dozens of courses, hundreds of athletes across all sports
Don’t forget about the tutors doing the schoolwork for the athletes for years…
The entire University was on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools. That’s not a small thing. Federal Grants were postponed & lost during the probationary period. If you are a top level professor interviewing with multiple universities do you choose the one on probation? So laugh if you must REALITY but it matters.
Probably because the college recruitment process is all about finding the right college fit, and not just the coach you like the most.