53.5 Backstroker Kiki Kennedy Verbals to Duke (2022)

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Long Island Aquatic Club’s Kiki Kennedy has verbally committed to Duke for fall 2022. She’s a junior at South Side High School in Long Island, NY.

I’m super excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at Duke University! A huge thank you to all my friends, family, coaches, and teammates for all of their support! Go blue devils!! 💙😈

TOP TIMES (SCY)

  • 50 back – 26.02
  • 100 back – 53.52
  • 200 back – 1:58.21
  • 50 free – 24.01
  • 100 free – 52.74
  • 200 free – 1:53.89

Kennedy has made enormous improvements in the backstroke events in the last year. Going into the pandemic, she was 55.41 in the 100 and 2:05.96 in the 200, and she’s taken almost two seconds off of her 100 back and over seven off of her 200 back. She had both of those performances at the December ‘Travel to Nowhere’ LIAC-hosted meet.

At the 2019 New York HS State Championships, Kennedy took third in the 100 back (55.50).

Sophomore Emma Shuppert (52.3/1:58.3) leads Duke in the sprint backstroke, while freshman Emily Lenihan (53.9/1:56.5) is the best 200 backstroker on the roster right now. At the 2020 ACC Championships, where Duke placed sixth, Kennedy would’ve been on the B/C-final cusp in the 100 back. Shuppert returns after taking fourth in the 100 back at the meet last season. Kennedy is also at C-final speed in the 200 back.

Kennedy joins top-20 HMs Tatum Wall and Kaelyn Gridley, Martina Peroni and Madeline Meredith in Duke’s class of 2026. Meredith is also a backstroke specialist at 54.3/2:00.3, as is Wall (54.6/1:57.8).

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About Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.

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