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Ella Chang of Saint Augustine, FL has announced her decision to continue her academic and athletic career at the University of North Florida beginning in the fall of 2021. Chang is a member of the Saint Augustine Cyclones swim team, where she has swum for Head Coach and Club Director Frank Holleman, Head Site Coach Gregory Burgess, and Assistant Coach Melissa Harmon. She is in her final year at Pedro Menendez High School, where she was nominated team captain. She swims high school for Coach Matthew Davis.
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to UNF! The campus made me feel right at home and I couldn’t be anymore excited to swim there! Thank you to my family and my coaches for helping me get to where I am now!!! GO OSPREYS!
As a senior and captain at Pedro Menendez High School, Chang competed at the Florida High School 2A District 3 Championships. She swam the 50 and 100 free and 2 relays. She finished 3rd in the 50 free, only 0.22 seconds separating her from gold medalist Abby Cardozo of the Paxon School. She went on to win the 100 free, touching 0.21 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. She also led off her school’s 200 free relay, and she swam the third leg of the 400 free relay. Both relays finished 2nd.
Chang’s times at the District meet earned her a spot at the Florida High School 2A Region 1 meet. She was runner-up in the 50 free, dropping 0.53 seconds from the district meet. She finished 5th in the 100 free, and similar to the district meet, she led off the 200 free relay and swam the third leg of the 400 free relay.
In her final meet as a Pedro Menendez High School swimmer, Chang competed at the 2A State Championships. She made it back in the B-final of both the 50 and the 100 free, again improving her season times. She went a 24.89 in prelims for the 50 free, ultimately touching 13th, and she finished 11th in the 100 free (54.93).
Chang qualified for the State meet all four years of her high school career. Junior year, she joined the girl’s weightlifting team and qualified for regionals. She intends to earn her International Baccalaureate diploma when she graduates in the spring.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 free – 24.47
- 100 free – 53.67
- 50 fly – 27.36
Chang will join the University of North Florida’s women’s team in the fall of 2021. Her best times would have made her the team’s second-fastest 50 freestyler behind Camryn Greenleaf and their fourth-fastest 100 freestyler behind Greenleaf, Ashley Kephart, and Ashley Cozad. Greenleaf graduated in the spring of 2021, moving Chang up in the team rankings. If she remains within the top four sprinters, Chang could be considered for the team’s championship relays.
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