While their Ivy League rivals at Harvard have picked up a gaggle of great swimmers in this fall’s recruiting class, the Yale Bulldogs have finally fired back with a big breaststroke commitment of their own.
Jonathan Rutter from Cincinnati, Ohio, has pledged his services to Yale, pending completion of the admissions process.
Rutter, who swims for the Powel Crosley, Jr. YMCA, swam a 2:17.86 in the 200 long course breaststroke at this summer’s YMCA National Championship meet to not only win the title, but break a 21-year old national record.
In yards, he’s been 56.76 in the 100 and 2:00.57 in the 200. That won’t totally negate the impressive breaststroke group that the Crimson are building, but should at least help Yale be competitive in the medley relay a few years longer in a conference that is developing a very good breaststroke reputation (they had three guys 1:55 or better last year, and all were underclassmen – that’s more than the ACC had).
Rutter is a very good three event guy; he’s also been 1:50.43 in the 200 IM, which will likely be his third event, and 3:58.40 in the 400 IM, and is a capable 200 freestyler with a flat-start best of 1:40.42. Yale’s top four flat-start 200 freestylers last year took them out to 1:40.14.
He also swims for Wyoming High School.
Shawn nee has also committed there.