6’6″ Matthew Dunphy, Late-Comer to Swimming, Verbally Commits to Tennessee

Breaststroker Matthew Dunphy from the Winchester Swim Team has verbally committed to the Tennessee Volunteers.

Dunphy admits that he was a potential pickup for the Volunteers. “My times aren’t all that impressive, I think it was more of my potential,” Dunphy said of his connection with Tennessee. “This is my third year swimming and I haven’t ever swum year round yet.”

Specifically, Dunphy, a lifelong football player, wasn’t even swimming summer league until a few years ago. He says he “knew (the strokes) a little from swimming for a couple of months in 2nd grade,” but that he was basically starting from scratch.

That framing makes his breaststroke times that-much more impressive. In yards, he’s been 58.16/2:06.60 in the 100 and 2o0 breaststrokes plus 1:54.93 in the 200 IM. In long course he’s even better, with long course bests of 1:06.77 and 2:24.02.

Not surprisingly, he’s still dropping significant time, including four seconds as a junior in the 100 yard breaststroke and thirteen seconds as a junior in the 200 yard breaststroke.

At 6’6″ tall, Dunphy has great size and is a great athlete, and could be a Breeja-Larson-like story for Tennessee. Larson also is a breaststroker, also is very tall, and was also a relative late-comer to swimming.

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Coach
9 years ago

One of the best kids I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. UT got a good one here.

9 years ago

Tennessee likes tall people.

Cole
9 years ago

Great guy. Competed against him in high school and he’s clearly put in a lot of work since he went 1:04 in the 100 just a couple years ago. Congratulations Matthew.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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