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Kentucky Aquatics’ Nicholas Johnson has announced he will join the reigning DIII Men’s NCAA Champions, Denison University, in the fall of 2025.
“I’m excited to announce my academic and athletic commitment to Denison University. I’d like to thank my family, friends and coaches for making this possible. I’d also like to thank the coaching staff at Denison for giving me this opportunity. GBR!”
Based in Lexington, KY, Johnson recently completed his high school career at Henry Clay High School, helping the program to a fourth-place finish at the 2025 KHSAA Swimming State Championships. Johnson’s best finish at the meet was his seventh-place finish in the 100 freestyle, where he swam a season-best 46.86 in prelims before clocking 46.96 in the final. He also finished 10th in the 100 backstroke and swam on two relays.
Less than a month later, Johnson swam lifetime bests in the 50 freestyle (21.95), 200 freestyle (1:43.23), and 100 butterfly (51.02) at the Speedo Sectionals in Cary, NC. Though he did not swim a lifetime best, his highest finish came in the 100 freestyle once again, as he swam 47.10 for 15th place.
Best Times (SCY):
- 100 freestyle: 46.72
- 200 freestyle: 1:43.23
- 100 backstroke: 51.68
- 200 backstroke: 1:52.86
- 100 butterfly: 51.02
Johnson is a strong depth signing for the Big Red, who ran away with the men’s DIII NCAA Championship this season to win the sixth title in program history and first since 2019.
Though it would make sense for the team to press on Johnson’s 100/200 freestyle as that could make him a relay option in the future, he could also focus on backstroke or butterfly depending on the team’s needs. The Denison seniors were the highest scoring class on the men’s side in Greensboro, earning 160 points. So, though Denison was dominant this year and the team returns the most points on the men’s side, they do find themselves needing to replace some of their biggest contributors to stay on top of the DIII standings next season.
Johnson joins Asher Cole, Bryce Spangler, George Emrhein, Cam Blevins-Mohr, Sam Hibbert, Reid Richardson, Finn Daly, and Lukas Shafer in verbally committing to Denison’s class of 2029.
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. Womp Womp
46 100 freestyle as a senior?! Geez I didn’t know that could even make it D3!!
What is with all of the posts lately taking giant dumps on high school kids??
Let’s be clear to anyone who was confused, 99% of the college swimmers at all levels are doing it because they enjoy swimming and feel it betters them, not because they have some kind of psychological need to be an NCAA division one champion and/or Olympian.
For the life of me I cannot figure out why so many people here seem to suffer so much personal distress over 17-18 year old kids who have clearly worked hard through high school at swimming choosing to go to colleges where they can keep doing working hard on their swimming while also being normal college students that… Read more »
80% of it is their friends trying to be funny. 19% of it is rival schools trying to be funny. So 99% is kid stuff.
Makes sense and saves me a little faith in humanity…