California Butterflyer Ethan Russell Smith Announces Commitment to Denison

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USA Swimming Scholastic All-American Ethan Russell Smith has announced his commitment to Denison University for the 2020-21 season and beyond. Smith hails from Manhattan Beach, California and is a senior at Fusion Academy South Bay. A fly/IM/free specialist, he recently joined the club team Alpha Aquatics.

“Denison’s success both in the pool and in the classroom really struck me on my visit.  The coaches and swimmers are dedicated, supportive, hardworking and have developed a great team culture.  The campus is gorgeous and the facilities are some of the best I’ve seen.  I am really excited to join such a great group and look forward to contributing to such a successful program. Go Big Red!”

Smith is a Summer Juniors qualifier in the 100/200 fly and a Winter Juniors qualifier in the 200 IM. He swam all three events at 2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships West, earning a PB in the 200 fly with his 18th-place finish. A week later he earned a PB in the 200 free at California/Nevada Sectionals at East Los Angeles College. There, he finished 11th in the 100 free and 3rd in the 200 free. Smith competed at Carlsbad Sectionals at the end of February and finaled in the 100 fly (11th), 200 fly (4th), and 200 IM (12th), taking home best times in the 100 free, 200 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM.

Top SCY times:

  • 200 fly – 1:47.69
  • 100 fly – 48.17
  • 50 fly – 23.13
  • 400 IM – 4:04.17
  • 200 IM – 1:50.30
  • 200 free – 1:40.81
  • 100 free – 46.93
  • 200 breast – 2:08.44

At the 2019 NCAA Division III Championships, Denison men won their second title in a row, and their fifth in the last nine years. Smith’s best 100/200 fly times would have made the A finals at that meet. His 200 IM time would have just squeaked into the B final. Smith will overlap two years with sub-50 flyers Michael Arpasi (48.44), Noah Houskeeper (48.97), and Ethan Bevill (49.15), and three with Eric Chimes (49.83). The Big Red will have graduated their top 200 flyer, Mitch Williams, the only swimmer with a faster time than Smith.

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About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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