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The University of California-San Diego has landed a verbal commitment from Lexi DePaco for the 2021-2022 season. DePaco made the following statement about her decision, “I’m so excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at UCSD! I would like to thank my family, coaches and teammates for their constant support and encouragement. I chose UCSD for it’s [sic] high standards of achievement in both athletics and academics. The swim team coaching staff and culture they have created will allow me to thrive in a challenging environment. GO TRITONS!!”
DePaco is in her junior year at San Ramon Valley High School. As a freshman, she swam the 50 free and the 100 fly at the CA CIF North Coast Section Championships, finishing 2nd and 4th, respectively. Only 0.1 seconds separated DePaco (55.56) from bronze-medalist Ashleen O’Brien. DePaco raced to the wall for the silver medal in the 50 free, touching only after Miramonte High School’s Sophia Kosturos. Both of these swims qualified DePaco for the State meet a week later. Similarly, she swam the same events her junior year. She was able to earn the bronze medal in the 100 fly, going a full second faster than she had the previous year (54.53). Again, she came in second in the 50 free, this time behind Benicia High School’s Jessica Larson. At the state meet, DePaco came in 8th in the 100 fly and 12th in the 50 free. She earned USA Swimming Scholastic All-American honors after her first two seasons.
In April of 2019, DePaco swam with her club team – the Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks – at the Far Western Short Course Championships. She took home gold medals in the 200 and 400 IMs and the 200 fly. She earned a silver medal in the 100 fly, and she closed out the meet with bronze medal swims in the 50 free and the 200 breast. DePaco has earned 2019 Winter Juniors qualitfying times in the 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 200 breast, and 400 IM, and a 2019 Futures cut in the 50 free.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 fly – 54.51
- 200 fly – 2:00.88
- 200 IM – 2:02:38
- 50 free – 23.45
- 200 breast – 2:18.39
- 400 IM – 4:22.16
DePaco’s top times would have qualified her for finals swims in each of her events at the 2020 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships. Her 200 breast and 50 free would have landed her in the B-final, while her 200 and 400 IMs would have placed her 5th and 4th after prelims. Her 100 fly would have made her the third fastest swimmer, and her 200 fly time would have made her the top seed going into finals. DePaco is the first member of the class of 2025 to verbally commit to UCSD.
UCSD began their jump from Division II to Division I during the 2018-2019 season. This means that DePaco will be eligible to compete at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, but the team will not be able to swim at the NCAA Division I Championships until the 2024-2025 season.
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