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Owen Nye has announced his verbal commitment to swim and study at Villanova University, beginning in the fall of 2024. Nye hails from Burlington, North Carolina, where he attends Burlington Christian Academy.
“I chose Villanova University to continue my academic and swimming careers because I know it’s a place where I can remain committed to excellence in both. Thank you to God, my family, coaches, and friends for making this possible. Go Wildcats! #novanation \V/”
Nye, who trains year-round with the Greensboro Community YMCA Makos, specializes in mid-distance to distance freestyle events. He also competes in open water, and this spring took 26th in the 2023 Open Water Juniors 7.5k event.
Nye wrapped up his long course season last month at the Last Splash Invitational, where he came away with victories in the 800m and 1500m freestyle. In the 800, Nye dropped over three seconds from last summer to post an 8:39.13, while in the 1500 he knocked off nearly four seconds to record a 16:43.63.
This spring, he represented his club at the YMCA National Short Course Championships where he earned a top-8 finish in the 1650. He stopped the clock at 15:51.93, putting him only a few seconds shy of his best time from the YOTA Capital Classic in December.
Another highlight from Nye’s spring was the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) State Championships. There, he collected state titles in both the 500 free and 200 free, clocking times of 1:43.07 and 4:41.95, respectively.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 free – 1:41.34
- 500 free – 4:29.80
- 1000 free – 9:25.42
- 1650 free – 15:47.52
The Villanova men finished 4th at the 2023 Big East Conference Championships. Nye is projected to make a big impact for the team at the conference level, as his best times in the 500 and 1650 would have easily scored at this year’s meet.
Villanova had two men break into the top-8 in the 1650, led by Jake McIntyre who finished 3rd in a season best time of 15:18.08. Taking 5th was Charlie Hinckley, who posted a personal best time of 15:29.57. Neither will be on campus when Nye is a freshman, making his arrival timely as Villanova looks to rebuild their distance group.
Nye is the first public commitment for Villanova’s class of 2028.
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].
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