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Kyle Li has announced his commitment to continue both his education and swimming career at Columbia University, where he will join the team in the fall of 2026. He is from Herndon, Virginia, where he attends Chantilly High School and trains year-round with the Dragon Swim Team.
Li confirmed the commitment in an email to SwimSwam, and provided the following quote:
I could not be more excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process to continue my athletic and academic career at Columbia University! A huge thank you to my amazing parents and sister for helping me get to where I am today. I’d also like to thank my coaches, Kevin and Sue, along with all my friends and teammates for their never ending support. Finally, thank you to Coach Jim, Coach Nate, and Coach Gustavo for giving me this amazing opportunity. GO LIONS!!
Li’s primary target meets this past high school season were the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Northern Region 6D Championships and VHSL Class 6 State Championships, held in February and March.
At the Region meet, he walked away with four victories—two in individual events and two in relays. He won the 100 breast (55.67) and 200 IM (1:50.25), both in lifetime bests, and also logged 25.13 on the breast leg of the winning 200 medley relay and 21.61 leading off the golden 200 free relay.
A few weeks later at State, his double taper was successful. He won the 100 breast in his first-ever sub-55 outing at 54.93 and also broke 1:50 for the first time in the 200 IM with a 1:49.60. The 100 breast earned him first place while he settled for runner-up status in the 200 IM. He led off the 200 free relay in 21.13 as they defended their region form to win the state championship, while he logged 25.03 to help the medley relay to fourth.
Li continued his strong form just two days after State at the Potomac Valley Senior Championships, where he swam four new career bests. He produced 2:01.24 in the prelims of the 200 breast before going on to win the final in 1:59.45. He also clocked 53.25 for 19th in the 100 back and 47.04 for sixth in the 100 free, both lifetime bests.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Breaststroke: 54.93
- 200 Breaststroke: 1:59.45
- 200 IM: 1:49.60
Under the direction of head coach Jim Bolster, the Columbia men finished six out of eight teams at the 2025 Ivy League Championships.
On the Lions’ depth chart last season, Li would have ranked fifth in both breaststroke events and eighth in the 200 IM. At the Ivy League Championships, where ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ finals are offered, times of 57.16, 1:59.49, and 1:47.49 were required to make the ‘C’ final in his top events. With these numbers, he enters as an immediate finals contender in the 100 breast but is about a second shy of the 53.89 needed to make the ‘B’ final in 2025.
Li joins a Columbia recruiting class that includes two other publicized commits in the high school class of 2026: Tristan McCain and Levi Skaistis.
Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Congratulations to my swimmer Kyle Leye. He can achieve big things in the future. So glad my coaching helped him become who he is today.
oh yeaaa kiwi kyleeeee
Lets goooooooo Kyle!!!!