“BOTR” Sprinter Sam Empey (2024) Hands Verbal Commitment to Auburn

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Sam Empey from Camas, Washington, has announced his intention to swim and study at Auburn University in the class of 2028.

“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at Auburn University! I would like to thank my parents, friends, as well as my old and current coaches for helping me get to this point. I also want to thank Coach Vlad and Ryan for guiding me through my recruiting process. WAR EAGLE🦅”

Empey is a junior at Union High School. He swims year-round with Lake Oswego Swim Club and specializes in sprint freestyle. We tapped him as a “Best of the Rest” recruit on our Way Too Early List of top-20 boys from the high school class of 2024.

At the 2022 Washington High School 4A State Championships, Empey placed 2nd in the 100 fly (50.83) and 4th in the 50 free (21.11). He had swum a PB of 20.71 a week earlier at the 2022 Oregon and Washington Men’s 4A District IV & VI Championships. A couple weeks later, he swam at the Oregon Swimming Region XII Senior Championships and improved his times across the board, including the 100/200 free, 100 back, 100 breast, and 200 IM. He won the 200 free and was third in the 100 free and 100 back. No sooner had the ink dried in his personal record book when he had another round of PBs (100/200 free and 100 fly), this time at 2022 Spring Speedo Sectionals–Phoenix.

At Speedo Junior Nationals in Irvine, Empey competed in the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 free. He left the meet with new PBs in the 50 (23.63) and 100 (51.93), dropping .7 and 1.1 seconds, respectively, from his best times last summer.

Top SCY times:

• 50 free – 20.71
• 100 free – 45.13
• 200 free – 1:39.01
• 100 fly – 49.38
• 100 back – 50.80

Auburn’s sprint group last year was led by Logan Tirheimer (19.37/42.70) and Matthew Yish (19.38/43.99), both A-finalists in the 50 free at 2022 SEC Championships. Tirheimer was also a B-finalist in the 100 free. Auburn had four sub-20 50 freestylers (Tirheimer, Yish, Nate Stoffle, and Ryan Husband) and five sub-44 100 freestylers (Tirheimer, Aidan Stoffle, Christian Sztolcman, Husband, and Yish). Empey will suit up for the Tigers with Aidan Clements and Keaton Rice, who have also committed to the Auburn class of 2028.

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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