Freestyler Samantha Hunter Commits To Gardner-Webb (2023)

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Samantha Hunter has announced her decision to continue her academic and athletic career at Gardner-Webb University this fall. Hunter is concluding her final year at Northridge High School, located in Indiana. She also trains year-round with the Northridge Area Swimming Association.

I chose GWU because of the team atmosphere and the amazing coaching. I loved the amazing campus and I had tons of fun on my visit. I also loved the tight knit community and GW and am so excited for the next 4 years. Sko Dawgs!🐶🐾”

Hunter is mainly a freestyler, but often throws in other stroke events to her line-ups. She recently raced at the Indiana Senior State Championships, where she advanced to finals in all six of her individual events. Hunter earned her highest finish in the 200 freestyle, where she turned in a season best time of 1:55.59 to take 11th overall. 

At Senior State, Hunter set personal best times in the 100 free and 200 fly. In the 100 free, she stopped the clock at 52.54 in finals, while in the 200 fly she dropped a few tenths to post a 2:12.71. Her 200 fly time ended up being over four seconds faster than her season best last year, while her 100 was nearly two seconds quicker. 

Top SCY Times:

  • 50 free – 24.57
  • 100 free – 52.54
  • 200 free – 1:55.42
  • 100 fly – 57.82
  • 200 fly – 2:12.71
  • 200 IM – 2:08.38

The Runnin’ Bulldogs compete in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) where the women finished 9th out of 11 teams this year. It’s difficult to say exactly which events Hunter will direct her attention to in college, but her best chance at scoring looks to be in the 200 IM and 100 free, where it took a 2:07.59 and 51.85 to advance to finals, respectively.

The 200 IM was the weaker of those two events at conference this year as the team has no finalists. The top performer of the season was sophomore Clara Schlimper, who posted a season best time of 2:12.20 at CCSAs to finish 36th overall. Leading the way in the 100 freestyle was senior Alyssa Church, who finished 24th in a season best of 52.36. 

Joining Hunter in Gardner-Webb’s incoming class are Bella Palazzo and Slawka Ndubuisi. Palazzo is primarily a backstroker while Ndubuisi is a sprint freestyler. 

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DAWG
11 months ago

ANOTHER ONE!!!! LETS GOOOOO