Jack Saunderson, a Reservoir High School senior from Laurel, Maryland, has made a verbal commitment to swim for the Towson Tigers beginning in 2015-16.
Saunderson, who swims with Columbia Aquatics Association, is primarily a butterflier. In short course season, he won the 100 fly consolation final at the 2014 Maryland Swimming Championships and was seventh in the 200 fly. He improved his 100 time by one second and his 200 time by 1.3 over the course of the season.
In long course, Saunderson had an even better season. He dropped more than four seconds in the 100 fly, and 6.6 in the 200 fly. Saunderson also dropped 2.4 seconds in his 50m free and 3.5 in his 100m free. He finished the year with times of:
| 100y fly: 51.59 | 100m fly: 57.59 |
| 200y fly: 1:54.70 | 200m fly: 2:12.76 |
| 100y back: 55.86 | 100m back: 1:04.96 |
| 200y back: 1:59.39 | 200m back: 2:26.59 |
| 50y free: 23.45 | 50m free: 26.00 |
| 100y free: 50.59 | 100m free: 57.46 |
The CAA only has an A-final and a B-final. While Saunderson’s times from 2013-14 would have been about a second off the B final cutoff for both the 100 and 200 fly, if he continues to make the kind of progress he made over the past year, he should be a big asset to the Tigers.
Towson has a strong butterfly presence, which should present a great training opportunity for Saunderson as he continues to develop his talents. Should he repeat his long course performance this winter in the free, Saunderson could also be in contention for relay spots when he arrives at Towson.
