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Ashlyn Widmer, a Futures qualifier from Danville, California, has announced her commitment to continue her athletic and academic careers at Division III Kenyon College.
Located in Gambier, Ohio, Widmer is set to arrive on campus at Kenyon ahead of the 2023-2024 season. She is currently entering her senior year at San Ramon Valley High School.
I’m beyond excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic careers at Kenyon College! I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me along this journey, including my family, coaches, teammates, and friends. I can’t wait to join this incredible team! Go Kenyon!!
Widmer trains and competes with Orinda Aquatics outside of the high school season. Her primary events are the 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM. She is a Speedo Sectionals finalist as well as a Futures qualifier in multiple events.
Best Times SCY:
- 100 back- 57.27
- 200 back- 2:04.52
- 100 fly- 57.59
- 200 IM- 2:06.68
- 400 IM- 4:29.47
Widmer’s best short course times in her primary events all stem from 2021, including having set the 200 back, 100 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM marks listed above in a dual meet when she was swimming with the Crow Canyon Country Club Sharks.
This past July, Widmer competed at the Roseville Speedo Sectional meet, racing the 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly, and 400 IM (all LCM). Her highest finish of the meet came in the 400 IM, in which she qualified for finals and placed third overall. She swam a time of 5:07.31, marking a season best, with her PB of 5:00.88 having been set back in April 2021. Widmer also qualified for finals in the 200 backstroke, placing 22nd overall. At finals, she raced to a 2:28.35, having been as fast as 2:23.37 back in 2019.
Kenyon College is part of the North Coast Athletic Conference. In 2022, the Kenyon women finished first at the NCAC Championships, earning their 27th Conference title. No other NCAC program—men’s or women’s—possesses more conference titles. They went on to send 15 swimmers to the NCAA Division III Championships.
Widmer goes into her senior year of high school with times that would already qualify for A-finals at NCACs. At the NCAC Championships, three heats of 9 swimmers each will advance to finals. In the 100 backstroke, Widmer’s best time would have placed her 5th overall and 3rd for Kenyon. She would have been 9th in both the 200 back and 200 IM, ranking 5th for Kenyon in each.
In the 200 backstroke, Kenyon finished in 1st-4th place at last year’s championships. Of those four athletes, only two will still be on the team by the time Widmer arrives. In the 400 IM, however, Kenyon swimmers placed 3,4,5, and 8, and all four of them are expected to still be on the team for the 2023-2024 season.
Although Kenyon will lose several of their top backstrokers before Widmer arrives, there are more recruits coming in for the 2022-2023 season that will help fill out the training group. Michigan’s Gwen Eisenbeis will be coming in this fall with conference-scoring times in the 100 back (56.81) and 200 back (2:03.61).
Widmer is the first women’s recruit to Kenyon in the high school class of 2023.
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