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A senior at Westwood High School in Austin Texas, Raphael Wang, has announced his intentions to swim at Duke this time next year.
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Wang, at last winter’s UIL 6A State Championships, made the finals in both of his individual events. In the 200 IM, after placing 3rd in the prelims in a time of 1:48.78, a personal best, he lowered it again to 1:48.57, capturing 4th in the final behind Maximus Williamson‘s 1:40.81. In the 100 breaststroke later on in the meet, Wang popped off another personal best, finishing 2nd in a time of 54.62.
He did not contain his successes to individual events, however, as Wang was also part of two relays. He anchored the 200 free relay to a 12th place finish, splitting 21.19 (he was 20.95 in the prelims), and he took on the butterfly duties of the 200 medley relay, splitting 22.14. The relay comprised of Kevin Qian (Bk- 24.26), Steven Ma (Br- 25.42) and Josh Lee (21.60) finished 7th overall in a time of 1:33.42
Wang continued his assault on his personal record book a fortnight later at the Lewisville Sectionals meet, competing with his club team, Waterloo Swimming. While he lowered his best in some off events like the 100 free (46.79) and the 200 back (1:51.98), he also had some strong drops in his bread and butter events, too. In the 100 breasts, he finished 6th in a new best of 54.59, and in the longer breaststroke events, he placed 7th in a new PB of 1:58.02. He performed even better in the 200 IM, taking 3rd in a new personal best of 1:48.04, knocking off half a second in just two weeks’ time.
In long course this past summer, Wang continued his recent run of success. At the Austin Sectionals meets in mid-July, he matched his personal best drops in yards to those in meters, swimming a new best in the 100 free (54.68), as well as in his better events. He placed 3rd in the 100-breast final, taking the bronze in 1:03.11, and did one better in the 200-breast, claiming silver in a personal best of 2:16.61. He equaled that silver medal in the 200 IM, first swimming 2:08.66 in the prelims and then chopping off more than two seconds to finish 2nd overall in the final with a result of 2:06.33.
Much like he did in the winter, between States and Sectionals, two weeks later in July, at the Austin site of the Futures Championships, Wang again lowered his personal bests. In the 100 breast, he placed 9th overall in 1:02.82, and in the 200 breast, he placed 3rd overall in 2:15.38. A similar drop could be seen in the 200 IM, where he dropped down to a time of 2:05.16, which was good for 10th overall.
Best Yards Times
- 50 Breast -25.73
- 100 Breast – 54.59
- 200 Breast – 1:58.02
- 200 IM – 1:48.04
Wang will be joining a Duke program that swims in the increasingly competitive ACC, which will see the addition of the top ten programs, Cal and Stanford, this season. Under the tutelage of Brian Barnes, who took over the program just last year after Dan Colella passed away, Duke placed 10th at the 2024 ACC Championships, scoring 287 points.
Duke’s top finisher in the 100 breast was Michael Volpe, a then-junior, who finished 29th overall in a time of 55.82; Duke also had a No Show from Justin Woo. In the 200 breast, Kalen Anbar, a then freshman, placed 16th in the prelims in a time of 1:56.96. In the B-Final, he moved up one spot to finish 15th in a time of 1:47.13. Jack Smith, also a then-freshman, was the next fastest Duke finisher, placing 27th overall in a time of 1:59.76.
Despite having a year to improve, Wang’s arrival on campus will immediately improve Duke’s prospects at their championships. His best time in the 100 breast would have been Duke’s fastest time at ACCs, as his 54.59 would have ranked 26th. His 200 breast would also just have missed qualifying for a final, as his 1:58.12 would have ranked 26th as well, just .04 away from being 24th.
Wang’s presence could also help Duke’s relays. While Anbar was 53.53 on the 400 medley relay, Volpe, who currently does not appear on Duke’s roster (as listed on their website), was 24.90 on the 200 medley, and Wang, with some improvement, could take over that duty.
Expected to join Wang on campus next fall are Ryan Griffith, Gus Koh, Anderson Kopp, and Cade Anderson, all of whom have a backstroke pedigree. Charlie Kulp, a strong 500 freestyler, and Owen Waibel, a sprinter, round out the class.
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