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Tyson Upton of Knox Pymble Swim Club, just outside of Sydney, Australia, has verbally committed to the University of Florida for fall 2021. Upton’s father was an Olympian for Australia, competing in the 100 and 200 backstrokes at the 1988 Olympic Games.
Super excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at university of Florida. Big thanks to my coaches, team mates and family for making this possible. Go gators 🐊🐊
TOP TIMES (LCM/converted to SCY)
- 50 free – 23.90/20.81
- 100 free – 51.79/45.21
- 200 free – 1:53.74/1:39.58
- 400/500 free – 4:06.30/4:35.96
In April of 2019, Upton finished in the top ten of the 50/100/200/400 free in the 16-year-old group at the 2019 Australian Age Group Championships. He was fifth in the 50 free, seventh in the 100 free, eighth in the 200 free, and 10th in the 400 free. In August, at the 2019 NSW State Age Group Champs in SCM, he won the 200 free (1:48.61), took third in the 100 free (50.87), and placed fifth in the 50 free (23.46) and 400 free (4:00.02). He also split 22.76 on Knox Pymble’s B 200 free relay.
Upton could develop into a strong sprint addition to the Florida roster, with the 100/200 free looking like his sweet spot right now. Florida just lost its best 100 freestyler in Maxime Rooney to a transfer to Florida, and after this season, their top mid-distance freestyler, Khader Baqlah, will exhaust his eligibility. Florida has a deep roster, though– they had 13 men under 45 seconds in the 100 free and 17 men under 1:39 in the 200 free last season. Already with respectable times (albeit in long course), Upton has another two years to develop.
Upton joins Caleb Kravitz, Brendan Peacock, and Jace Crawford in Florida’s class of 2024.
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Tyson has a great sprinter’s body frame and upside potential. A big, strong boy, improving every year. He and other best Aussie junior swimmers are competing in the Australian State Teams Championships this weekend.
Maddie Gough did not end up swimming for Wisconsin. She signed but pulled out at the last minute. As she had then Placed at Australian titles. Also she had never told her Australian coach she had signed with Wisconsin.
Knox Pymble is in the northern suburbs of Sydney, rather than just outside Sydney!
Tyson’s Dad Simon was an ‘88 Olympian in the 100/200 back. Seems to be part of a growing trend of Aussies joining the college system.
Correct in your geography. Pymble is a upmarket North Shore suburb about 16km NW of the Sydney CBD.
Whilst we are starting to see a greater number of AUS swimmers taking the NCAA route; unlike the 50’s through to early 80s, we are not seeing national team member or even serious contenders to senior team selection since Matt Targett over a decade ago. Maddie Gough did swim one year for Wisconsin but returned to AUS