The Minnesota Gophers debuted a major lineup addition this week, as transfer freestyler Michael Nunan officially swam his first meet with the team against Hawaii.
Nunan, originally from the Santa Clara Swim Club, spent the first semester of his freshman year at Navy before transferring up north to the University of Minnesota.
He sat out the entire 2013-2014 season, but becomes eligible for Minnesota this semester, meaning he’ll be in the mix for the team’s post-season run in the Big Ten and NCAA.
That’s a big boost for the Gophers, as Nunan has the potential to be an instant Big Ten finalist and possible NCAA qualifier in what counts as his freshman season.
Nunan recently competed at U.S. Winter Nationals, where he went 1:35.90 in the 200 free, a time that would rank inside the top 10 in the Big Ten Conference so far this season.
Nunan’s Top Times
- 200 free: 1:35.90
- 500 free: 4:18.26
- 100 free: 45.06
Maybe Nunan’s biggest impact will be his relay prowess, where he immediately becomes Minnesota’s most dangerous piece on the 800 free relay. The Gophers return Ben Bravence, NCAA qualifer Logan Redondo and All-American Jakub Maly from that relay last year, and also have a fast-rising Paul Fair in the mix for what could become the team’s best relay come postseason.
The team announced that its dual with Hawaii on Wednesday would be Nunan’s first official meet with the team. As of now, no results from the meet are available.
