2023 “Best of the Rest” Brendan Whitfield Commits to In-State Virginia Tech

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Backstroker and butterflier Brendan Whitfield, a high school junior from Lynchburg, Virginia, has committed to join the Virginia Tech Hokies class of 2027. Whitfield does his club swimming for the Lynchburg YMCA and attends Jefferson Forest High School in Forest, Virginia. 

Whitfield told SwimSwam, “I’m super excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my swimming and academic career at Virginia Tech, and I want to thank my friends, family, and coaches for getting me to where I am. I also wanted to thank Albert, Sergio, and the whole team for being very supportive during the whole process. Can’t wait to be a Hokie! #GoHokies”

Whitfield had a massive long course championship meet in August at the Speedo Summer Championships- Greensboro, posting best times in the 100 free (51.52), 100 fly (55.35), 100 back (56.70) and 200 back (2:03.09) while earning second swims in all of those races. 

Whitfield’s best SCY (LCM) times include: 

• 50 free: 20.82 (24.29)
• 100 free: 47.43 (51.52)
• 100 back: 49.14 (56.70)
• 200 back: 1:46.78 (2:03.09)
• 100 fly: 48.98 (55.35)

With two years of high school still to go, Whitfield has some improvements to make in his top events before he reaches ACC scoring range. It took 46.85 in the 100 fly, 47.50 in the 100 back and 1:45.29 in the 200 back to qualify for the C final of the 2021 ACC Championships. His 200 back is clearly his strongest event, only 1.5 seconds away from scoring, though he projects to be an impact swimmer for the Hokies in several events by his freshman year. 

Virginia Tech has put together one of the nation’s best butterfly groups in recent years, currently led by NCAA scorers Antani Iavanov and Youssef Ramadan, though Iavanov will have graduated by the time Whitfield arrives in Blacksburg. Ramadan, other the other hand, was one of the breakout stars of men’s NCAA swimming in his freshman season in Blacksburg. Notably, Ramadan has had a great progression the last couple of years, dropping his long course 100 fly from a 53.47 just before his arrival at Tech, dropping all the way down to 51.67 this past summer, where he qualified for the semifinals of Olympic Games. 

Virginia Tech’s fly group will  be further bolstered by the arrival of high-profile 2022 commits Carl Bloebaum and Landon Gentry.

The backstrokes, however, have been a bit of a weaker point for the Hokies, where they scored only three swimmers in both the 100 and 200 back at last year’s ACC’s. Whitfield’s arrival comes right on time for the Hokies as all three of those scorers will have graduated before Whitfield’s freshman year. 

Whitfield is the first public commit to Virginia Tech in the men’s high school class of 2023. 

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