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Avi Stahl has announced his verbal commitment to compete for Brown University beginning in the fall of 2026. He publicized the news on Instagram, writing:
I’m incredibly excited to announce my commitment to the admissions process at Brown University‼️ I want to thank all my coaches, my family, and everyone else who has helped me along the way. Go Bruno🐻🏊♂️
A native of Scarsdale, N.Y., Stahl is a senior at Scarsdale High School, where he has been a member of the swimming and diving team all four years. He also currently trains year-round with Empire Swimming, primarily specializing in distance freestyle.
Stahl had the best year of his career in 2025, elevating himself from the Division I conversation to a legitimate Power Five and Ivy League prospect. He started the year with personal bests of 1:42.84, 4:35.40, and 16:18.44 in the 200, 500, and 1650 free, and ended the season with times of 1:40.92, 4:29.77, and 15:34.56. His best meet of the year came at the NC TEAM Sun Kissed Championships in March, where he clocked his current personal bests in the 200 and 500 free.
The mile, despite being one of his best events, is a race he has only swum on three occasions throughout the entirety of his career. He first swam the event in November 2023 at the WRAT Age Group Qualifier, clocking 16:18.44, before swimming it exactly a year later at the same meet and dropping to 16:03.84. A month later at the CRA Winter Invitational in December, he took it all the way down to 15:34.56. Given his relative inexperience in the race, he likely has some untapped potential to continue chipping away at his best time.
Beyond club swimming, Stahl is a five-time New York state finalist, having competed at the 2023, 2024, and 2025 iterations of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Federation Championships. In 2023, he finished 18th in the ‘B’ final of the 500 free (4:48.64). A year later as a sophomore, he upgraded to a fifth-place finish in the 500 (4:35.40) and took 12th in the 200 free (1:43.42), both personal best times at the time. Last March, he qualified for the ‘A’ finals in both events, securing fifth in the 500 free (4:37.31) and 10th in the 200 free (1:43.49), though it didn’t appear to be his target meet for the season.
The current New York high school season is wrapping up, with the 2026 edition of the championships slated for March 6, where he will have a shot at a top-three finish if he can get within reach of his current personal best in the 500.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 Freestyle: 1:40.92
- 500 Freestyle: 4:29.77
- 1650 Freestyle: 15:34.56
Brown is currently led by head coach Kevin Norman, who has been at the helm of the program since the 2019-2020 season. At the 2025 Men’s Ivy League Championships, the Bears placed fourth out of eight teams. Based on the results from last season’s meet, Stahl would have placed 18th in the mile and 24th in the 200 free, putting him in a position to help score some points early on.
On the team itself, Stahl would currently rank fifth in the 1650 free, seventh in the 500 free, and 11th in the 200 free. He’ll be training among a predominantly young distance group led by current freshman Rory O’Connor (4:17.27/15:03.55), with only one senior graduating this season, giving him consistent development partners throughout his four years in Providence.
Stahl is the fastest incoming miler in the Bears’ recruiting class and will join a strong group of fellow recruits next season, including middle-distance freestylers Reed Harris (1:39.72/4:30.81) and Abir Bhatia (1:40.85/4:28.82), the latter of whom also swims breaststroke and IM, along with Myles Koff (fly/IM), Aaron Bell (sprint free/fly), Jack Ketchum (sprint free/back), Noah Chen (sprint free/breast/IM), and Kian Olsson (sprint free/fly/IM).
*Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.
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