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Lucas Jue has announced his commitment to swim for the University of Louisville, beginning in the fall of 2026. He publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I’m super excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Louisville! I would like to thank all my family, friends, and coaches who have supported me throughout my journey. A special thanks to my Mom, Dad, and Coach Jon for their huge support in my swimming career. As well as Coach Arthur and Coach Reed for this amazing opportunity. I can’t wait for what’s to come. Go Cards!
A senior at Long Beach Poly-Tech High School in Long Beach, California, Jue has been a member of the Jackrabbits’ swimming and diving team since his freshman year. In addition to competing for his high school team, he also trains year-round with Irvine Novaquatics. He’s quite versatile, strong across middle-distance and distance freestyle, both IMs, and the 200s of butterfly and backstroke.
Jue is coming off a blockbuster 12 months, which saw him drop from 1:39.32 to 1:38.21 in the 200 free, 15:41.82 to 15:34.04 in the 1650 free, 1:47.71 to 1:46.00 in the 200 back, 1:48.30 to 1:46.30 in the 200 fly, 1:51.27 to 1:48.86 in the 200 IM, and 3:58.40 to 3:53.68 in the 400 IM. The only event he didn’t improve in was the 500 free, where he clocked 4:21.73, just shy of his personal best of 4:21.66 from November 2024.
After missing qualification as a freshman, Jue broke through at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships as a sophomore, placing fifth in the 500 free (4:25.44) and 32nd in the 200 IM (1:54.36). He returned to the state meet last May and finished 10th in the 500 free (4:27.10) and 12th in the 200 IM (1:50.95).
Beyond the high school season, Jue has qualified for both Winter Juniors and Summer Junior Nationals, making the top 20 on three occasions. He placed 10th in the 500 free at the 2024 Winter Juniors, 17th in the 200m fly at Summer Nationals, and 19th in the 500 free last month.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 Freestyle: 1:38.21
- 500 Freestyle: 4:21.66
- 1650 Freestyle: 15:34.04
- 200 Backstroke: 1:46.00
- 200 Butterfly: 1:46.30
- 200 IM: 1:48.86
- 400 IM: 3:53.68
A Division I program in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the University of Louisville men’s team placed fifth out of 15 teams at the 2025 ACC Championships. The Cardinals went on to send 11 swimmers to the NCAA Division I Championships, where they finished 14th overall.
Jue’s best time in the mile would have placed 21st at the 2025 ACC Championships, scoring the team four points. It took times of 1:34.41/4:20.80 in the 200/500 frees, and 1:44.70/3:47.80 in the 200/400 IMs, 1:42.64 in the 200 back, and 1:44.27 in the 200 fly to make the ‘C’ finals. Based on those times, he’s within striking distance of scoring in the 500 free, with his third-best event looking like the 200 fly, and it works out as all three events are scheduled on different days.
Based on the 2024–25 depth charts, Jue would have ranked third on the Cardinals in the mile, fourth in the 400 IM, fifth in the 200 back, seventh in the 500 free, eighth in the 200 IM, and ninth in both the 200 free and 200 fly. That spread makes him a valuable dual-meet option who can slot into different events as needed.
Joining Jue in the Cardinals’ class of 2030 are sprint freestyler Aidan Kaplan, backstroker Chase Knopf and distance freestyler Dillon Brigman.
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