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Drury University has picked up a verbal commitment from backstroke specialist Aurora Duncan from Irvine, CA for its class of 2025. Duncan swims club for the JCC Waves and she is a senior at Irvine High School. Her mother, Gina LeBlanc-Duncan went to Drury University and swam under the direction of Coach Brian Reynolds, who helped her qualify for the school’s first 2 NCAA Championships.
I am thrilled to announce my commitment to Drury University! I am so proud to continue my academic and athletic career at a school with such a long legacy including National Champions, Olympians, and amazing, hard-working coaching staff. I am grateful to my family and my coaches who helped me arrive at this decision. Also, my parents are my coaches. Go Panthers
!
!Duncan is a 2019 Winter Junior Nationals qualifier. In May of 2019, she swam at the California CIF Southern Section DI Championships. As a sophomore, she qualified for the meet in 2 events, making it back to finals in each. She touched 6th in prelims of the 100 back, securing a spot in the A-final. She dropped 0.54 seconds in finals, remaining 6th. Her time of 55.45 was a new personal best and met the 2019 Winter Juniors time standard.
Duncan also competed in the A-final of the 200 IM. She touched 5th in prelims and 7th in finals, improving her time by 0.2 seconds. She led off Irvine High School’s 200 medley relay in a personal best 50 back time of 25.89 and she anchored their 400 free relay, splitting a 52.29.
Her times at the sectional meet qualified her for the state meet 2 weeks later. There, she finished 13th in finals of the 100 back and 8th in the 200 IM. She swam a best time of 2:04.33 in the IM.
In the summer of 2019, Duncan competed at the USA Swimming Futures Championships at Mount Hood. She swam the 100 back, the 100 and 200 fly, and the 200 IM. She made it back in the C-final of the 200 fly and swam best time in each of her events.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 back – 25.89
- 100 back – 55.45
- 200 back – 2:00.71
- 200 fly – 2:02.85
- 200 IM – 2:04.33
- 400 IM – 4:26.37
Duncan will become a Panther beginning in the fall of 2021, where she will swim under the direction of Coach Reynolds. She will make an immediate impact on the team as one of their top backstrokers. Based on the 2019-2020 season, Duncan would have been the team’s second-fastest in both the 100 and 200 back behind Laura Pareja. Duncan and Pareja will swim together for one year before Pareja graduates in the spring of 2022.
Pareja was the 2020 Great Lakes Valley Conference champion in the 100 back and runner-up in the 200 back. Duncan’s top times will likely earn her a spot in the A-final of both backstroke events, as well as in the 200 fly and the 200 and 400 IM.
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