Freestyler Mitchell Bunger (2023) Commits to the University of Missouri St. Louis

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Mitchell Bunger of Manhattan, Kansas, has committed to swim and study at the University of Missouri St. Louis, beginning in the fall of 2023.

“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swimming career at the University of Missouri St. Louis! I wish to thank my family coaches, teammates and friends for continuing to support me on this journey! I am pumped to see what the next four years have in store! Thank you Coach Tony and Coach Kale for this amazing opportunity, I am honored to have this outstanding opportunity! Go Tritons!! 🔱”

Bunger is finishing up his senior year at Manhattan High School and swims year-round for the Manhattan Marlins. He is primarily a freestyler, specializing in the 100/200/500-yard freestyles. 

Pretty much all of Bunger’s freestyle best times in SCY come from the spring of 2021, at the Kansas Boys 6A State Championships. There he finaled in the 200-yard free and 500-yard free, placing 12th (1:49.34) and 7th (4:51.19) respectively. He also swam a best time in the 100-yard free (50.07) as a lead off for Manhattan High School’s 4×100 free relay. At the same meet in 2022, Bunger rounded out his freestyle events with another best time in the 50-yard freestyle with a 24.36. 

Best times SCY:

• 50 free — 24.36
• 100 free — 50.07
• 200 free — 1:49.34
• 500 free — 4:51.19
• 100 back — 58.92

At the 2022 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, the Triton men were 7th out of ten teams with a score of 629, and the University of Indianapolis men won the conference title with 1,643 points. With his current best times, Bunger would have been just out of finals range. He would have placed 67th in 50-yard free, 60th in the 200-yard free, and 33rd in the 500-yard free.

Senior Jon Osa is the Triton’s best sprint freestyler, placing 12th in the 50-yard free, 7th in the 200-yard free, and 10th in the 100-yard free at the 2022 GLV Conference Championships. He was also the second-highest point scorer with 70 points for the UMSL men behind fellow senior and Spaniard, Guillem Masjuan Roca (78 points). The Triton men have almost no primary freestylers among the underclassmen, with almost all of their 2022 conference points coming from stroke and IM events. Bunger will add some depth as a new addition as the Tritons rebuild their freestyle group.

Bunger will suit up for the Tritons in the fall of 2023, and is the first commit to the UMSL men’s class of 2027.

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