#11 Bryce Mefford Becomes 3rd Top-20 to Give Verbal to UC Berkeley

El Dorado Hills, California-native Bryce Mefford, #11 on our list of the top 20 boys in the high school class of 2017, has verbally committed to the University of California, Berkeley. As such Mefford becomes the third top-20 recruit to announce his intention to swim at Cal next year, joining fellow commits Ryan Hoffer (#1), Daniel Carr (#16), Jackson Gabler, James Daugherty, and Jarod Hatch.

Mefford is a senior at Oak Ridge High School, with whom he won the 2016 California State High School Championships team title in May. He contributed a victory in the 100 fly and an 8th in the 200 free, as well as legs on the winning 200 medley relay and runner-up 400 free relay. In 2015, at the inaugural California state meet, he won both the 200 free and 100 back.

Mefford swims year-round for Sierra Marlins Swim Team. He is one of the best backstrokers in the class of 2017, and his 200 back is only just outside of scoring range for NCAAs. Mefford won the 200 back at 2015 Speedo Winter Juniors West; he was also runner-up in the 200 free and was an A-finalist in the 100 free (8th), 100 back (4th), and 200 IM (6th), and a B-finalist in the 100 fly (9th) and 50 free (16th). At Olympic Trials this summer he finished 20th in the 200m back and 22nd in the 100m back; he also competed in the 100m fly.

His best times are:

Paired with Hoffer, a 45.5-100 backstroker, Mefford will help Cal keep the lock on the backstroke events. At the Pac-12 conference level, Mefford would have scored in the A final of the 200 back, the B finals of the 200 free and 100 back, and the C finals of the 100 free, 100 fly and 200 IM.

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