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Caleb Eidson, a current high school senior at Hilton Head Christian Academy in South Carolina, will join Lees-McRae’s men’s team in the fall of 2021. Lees-McRae is located in Banner Elk, NC, which is two hours north of Charlotte.
I chose Lees McRae because of the opportunities available to me and because I felt that it was just the right speed for me. It was small and close which is what I felt I needed to be successful. I also saw a chance to be a part of something greater than myself in a team that was just getting started!
At the 2020 Class 1A/2A (smallest schools) South Carolina Independent School State Championships back in October, Eidson swept the sprint events with times of 20.9 and 46.3 in the 50 and 100 free. These efforts tied the state records in both events. In the team battle, he led off Hilton Head’s 200 medley relay in a 25.5, and led off their 200 free relay in a 23.87, contributing to their eventual third-place finish overall. Ahead of them were Oakbrook Preparatory and Spartanburg Day, who tied for first place with scores of 235 points. Hilton Head scored 103 points.
These results placed Eidson on the 2020 SCISA All-State team, which included swimmers from the 1A (smallest) to 3A (largest) divisions.
Eidson’s most recent meet for Hilton Head Aquatics, his club team, was the South Carolina Senior State meet from last weekend. He competed in the 50 and 100 free, as well as the 100 back and 100 fly. His standout event was the 100 free, where he dipped under 46 for the first time, touching first in prelims at a 45.95 before scratching finals. In the 50, he swam a 20.93 to take first again, which was just a few tenths off his personal best. In the 100 fly, he dropped a second from his previous best, which also came from December. His swims in the 100 back were about a second off of his lifetime best.
His best times make him a Futures qualifier in the 50 and 100 free. At the 2019 Futures Championships in Greensboro, he placed 39th in the 50 and 40th in the 100 during prelims.
Top Times SCY:
- 50 Free- 20.73
- 100 Free- 45.95
- 200 Free- 1:47.53
- 100 Back- 52.53
- 100 Fly- 52.83
Lees-McRae College is a Division 2 program competing in the Conference Carolinas. At the 2020 edition, their conference meet was held in conjunction with the Bluegrass Mountain Conference. In 2021, these conferences will compete on separate weekends in different locations, ending the tradition of holding them together, which has occurred since the 17-18 season. Conference Carolinas will hold their meet the weekend of February 25-27 in Kingsport, TN. Last season, Barton College won the men’s title at the Conference Carolinas meet, which was their second consecutive win.
Eidson is a substantial pickup for Lees-McRae, as he would have been just behind their top scorer and school record-holder, Arsham Mirzaei, from the 19-20 season in the sprint events. Although his best times in the sprints put him a tenth off the record in the 50 and half a second in the 100, it’s Eidson’s tertiary event, the 100 back, that would currently put his name on the record board, snagging the listed record by almost a second.
His best times also project him to score at the conference level in three events. Going by the 2020 results, Eidson would have A-finaled in the 50, ultimately placing fourth, while grabbing two B-final spots in the 100 free and 100 back.
He will join Chase Davis, Thomas Ware, Stephen Bandy, and Isaac Lafunor in Lees-McRae’s class of 2025
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