Danish Distance Swimmer Anton Ipsen Commits to NC State

It’s been 35 years since North Carolina State had what could be described as a ‘great male distance swimmer’ (specifically 1976 Olympic medalist Dan Harrigan, who still holds the School Record in the 1650 free by 7 seconds).

There’s a few candidates, though, to take that mantle. Sophomore Austin Snyder, after just one season, already ranks #2 on the all-time NC State list in the mile, and this week the Wolfpack have picked up a verbal commitment from Danish distance swimmer Anton Ipsen, who told us of his decision via email with an affirmative “Lets go Pack!!”

Ipsen is a solid long course swimmer; he’s been 3:58.6 and 15:41.3 in the 400 and 1500 frees in the 50 meter pool.

But the SIGMA-trained 19-year old (he will still be 19 when he starts next fall) is a stud in short course meters. He has been 3:49.11 in the 400, and 15:09.60 in the 1500. His time progression in that short course 1500:

2011: 15:27.33
2012: 15:16.76
2013: 15:09.50

There’s no real reliable conversions from a 1500 SCM to a 1650 yard freestyle (yet), but suffice it to say that he has every chance of challenging Harrigan’s school record in that race that currently sits at 15:05.39 even as a freshman.

If that’s not good enough to translate how good he might be: Ipsen broke the 800 long course freestyle Danish Junior Record (8:09.67) that belonged to Mads Glaesner. Glaesner touched the wall first in the 1500 at the 2012 World Short Course Championships (though he would unfortunately have that title stripped due to a positive doping test for a substance believed to have come from an over-the-counter medicine).