1:45 200 IMer Emils Jurcik Transfers to Northwestern After UConn Shutters Team

Following the school cutting the program in late June, ex-UConn swimmer Emils Jurcik will transfer to Northwestern University in the Big Ten. Jurcik swam for the Huskies for two seasons, and he should have two years of eligibility remaining.

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Jurcik, a strong distance freestyler and 200 IMer in high school, dropped a second in his 200 free and almost two seconds in his 200 IM in his time at UConn. He also made a big drop in his 100 back.

Jurcik was a major conference-level contributor for the Huskies and led the team in the 200 IM last season. At the 2019 American Athletic Conference Champs, he was fourth in the 200 IM (1:48.13), fifth in the mile (15:43.14) and ninth in the 200 free (1:37.39).

At the 2020 AAC Champs, Jurcik dropped to a 1:45.93 in the 200 IM to place third, just a few tenths from the winning time. He also anchored the 800 free relay in 1:37.80. Those would be his only events of the meet, though, as Jurcik says he was feeling pretty sick on the flight to the meet in Houston and only got worse each day of the meet.

“By the time of the 200 IM, I had around a 101-degree fever and didn’t sleep the whole night of the meet,” Jurcik told SwimSwam. “The morning of day three, I got pulled from the meet by my athletic trainer.”

Jurcik’s best event is far and away the 200 IM, and he comes in with the speed to be Northwestern’s top swimmer in the event. Last season, rising juniors Ryan Gridley (1:47.1) and Henry Blaul (1:47.3) led the Wildcats. At the 2020 Big Ten Champs, Jurcik would’ve been on the B/C-final cusp in this event, while he’s just off of scoring speed in the 200 free and mile.

Jurcik joins the program alongside incoming freshmen Graysen Bernard, Jacob Rosner, Collin Schuster, Alex Borisov and Michael Linnihan.