UNLV has a history of bringing in some huge European recruits, including Hungary’s Zsu Jakabos among them.
They’ve gotten back to that this fall, and on Saturday they received a verbal commitment from Germany’s Yannick Lindenberg, who is the future of Germany men’s breaststroking.
Lindenberg, who was 3rd at this year’s European Junior Championships in the 200 breast with a 2:13.92 in long course meters, will immediately become an NCAA scoring threat.
He’s also been a 1:01.75 in the 100 long course breaststroke.
He isn’t as good in short course meters as he is in long course, so that will be a challenge for the 18-year-old Lindenberg, who will turn 19 just as his freshman season begins in September, but that doesn’t diminish his value any for the Rebels. They have a great breaststroker this year, senior David Szele who was an NCAA qualifier going 53.0 in the 100, but after him, nobody on this team was better than 56.97 last season. Lindenberg was about the team’s biggest need in the fall recruiting, and he was one of the best breaststrokers available, period.
Germany has produced a lot of great male breaststrokers in the next 5 years, and Lindenberg seems fit to be next on that list.