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Ben Walker of Premier Aquatics Club of Klein and Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas has made a verbal commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs for 2016-17.
“I chose Georgia because it felt like home to me. Coach Bauerle, his staff, and his swimmers all treat each other like family, and that’s the environment I was looking for. The guys on the team are really cool, great guys! The swim team has a long history of excellence, and I’m excited to train with some of the top IMers in the nation. And Georgia is a fantastic school, so I know I’ll get a solid education.”
Walker competed in the 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM (21st) and 400 IM (17th) at U.S. Nationals this summer, earning 2016 Olympic Trials cuts in both IMs. He is the TAPPS Division 1 record-holder in the 200 IM (1:50.37 from 2014), 200 free (1:41.00, 2015), and 100 breast (55.46, 2015); he also broke a 9-year-old Josh Davis pool record in the 100 breast with his 55.46. Walker’s top times include:
| SCY | LCM | |
| 200 IM | 1:47.82 | 2:03.60 |
| 400 IM | 3:48.45 | 4:22.01 |
| 200 free | 1:39.00 | 1:55.19 |
| 200 back | 1:47.15 | 2:08.71 |
| 100 breast | 55.33 | 1:06.62 |
| 200 breast | 1:59.05 | 2:20.18 |
| 200 fly | 1:48.21 | 2:04.48 |
The Bulldogs feature one of the top IM squads in the country and Walker will train alongside Gunnar Bentz, Aidan Burns, the Litherland triplets, Basil Orr, Colin Monaghan, and James Guest when he arrives in Athens in the fall of 2016.
Walker is a terrific get for the Georgia program. His current best SCY times in the 200/400 IM would already score in the C finals at SEC Conference Championships, while his 200 breast would make the B final.
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Congrats Dude can’t wait to see what you do in college!!!
Ben is for REAL! My son had the “Opportunity” to swim Club with him the past few years.
This is only the beginning…Don’t be surprised to see him on “The Podium” with the 5-Rings behind it in the future…
Best of Luck Ben! You’ve earned every drop of it!
Should have gone with a bulldog in the picture though.
This dude is gone kill it. His LCM 400IM looks pretty special.
This will turn out to be a HUGE signing for UGA!!!!!! This kid is going to ROCK at NCAAs…Mark my word!
No, no, no – I wanted Ben to be a Longhorn. Great young man! Will this be another ex-Nitro kid going to Georgia and then transferring back home – to Longhorns? Joking … kind off. Wish all the best to Ben.
What a fantastic pick-up for the Dawgs! Ben is a wonderful trainer, competitor, student, and friend. I am sure that whatever he does at Georgia will be successful and impactful. Go Ben!