The Kentucky men have picked up two more verbal commitments to join the previously-committed Graham Baird.
Phillip Emerson is the two-time defending Pennsylvania AA (small school) state champion in the 100 yard free, and the one-time defending champion in the 50 yard free. He swims for the Erie Aquatics Club and Franklin High School, and is a swimmer that has been primarily focused on YMCA and high school competition for most of his career.
His best times are and 45.63 in the 100 yard free, plus a 20.90 in the 50 yard free.
Emerson was incredibly talented as a young swimmer; in his freshman year in Pennsylvania, as part of the Franklin runner-up 200 medley relay, he split 20.88 on the anchor – one of the faster splits you’ll see in a high school freshman. He hasn’t been able to improve much upon that relay split since (though, he has a little) but his flat starts times have steadily crept downward.
Freshman: 46.71 (three relays)
Sophomore: 21.05/46.04
Junior: 20.90/45.63
The other addition for the Wildcats is Josh York from Quest Swimming in Virginia. He has best times of 50.47 and 1:48.14 in both the 100 and 200 yard backstrokes. He’ll join 2013-2014 sophomore Zachary Zandona and sophomore Michael Christian as the program’s top backstrokers when he arrives on campus.
Notable are Emerson’s YMCA SC Nationals times this past spring include flat starts of:
50 Free: 20.78
100 Free: 45.54.
Additionally, 2013 relay splits from PIAA meet include 20.44 and 44.93 in the 50/100 respectively.
Watch this kid flourish at the college level. Coming from a program which trains for less than 90 minutes/ day, 4 months out of the year.
they also picked up an aussie freestyler
For a solid high school kid his time progression is not as drastic as you would think. 46.7 as a freshman to 45.6 as a Junior.