Euro Juniors 50 Free Champ Giovanni Izzo Verbally Commits to NC State

The famed Wolfpack sprint group will get even stronger next year, as Italian sprinter Giovanni Izzo has made a verbal commitment to join the North Carolina State men’s swimming and diving team beginning in the fall of 2017.

Izzo, who swims for Imolanuoto, finished 2016 with the #1 worldwide ranking for juniors (men born in 1998 and later) in the 50 free, having gone 22.09 and won the event at the 43th Arena European Junior Swimming in Hodmezovasarhel, Hungary on July 10. That represents a drop of 7/10 in a year, given that Izzo finished third at the 2015 FINA World Junior Championships in Singapore with 22.78.

His times this summer include:

Had Izzo swum at the 2016 ACC Championships and gone his best times converted, he would have qualified third for finals in the 50 free behind only NC State Olympians Simonas Bilis and Ryan Held, and would have come in 3/10 ahead of teammate Joseph Bonk. In the 100 free he would have qualified seventh, and been the fifth NC State swimmer in that A final. His 100 fly would have given him a second swim as well, this time in the C final.

NC State’s recruiting efforts have already paid off handsomely this season. In addition to Izzo, the Wolfpack have received verbal commitments from Daniel Forndal, Luke Sobolewski, and Ray Van Deusen.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email to [email protected]