German Sprinter Martin Wrede Verbally Commits to Cal for 2025-26

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Martin Wrede, a sprinter from Hannover, Germany, has announced his verbal commitment to the University of California, Berkeley, for the 2025-26 school year and beyond. He wrote on social media:

“I am very excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my swimming and academic career at the University of California, Berkeley. I want to thank everyone who supported me a long the way and especially my family and Coaches! I can’t wait to be part of such a great team #GoBears 🐻🐻!!”

Wrede swims for the club team W98 Hannover and represents Germany internationally. He specializes in sprint freestyle and holds the German Age Record in the 100m free. He cleared the mark with 49.45 in April with his 6th-place finish at the 2024 German Olympic Trials. Two months later, at the European Championships in Belgrade, he dropped .70 to lower his PB to 48.75 leading off the men’s 4×100 free relay. He earned a bronze medal at that meet in the mixed 4×100 free relay.

Wrede’s 100 free is the 2nd-fastest LCM time in the class of 2025. Only Maximus Williamson has been faster, and that was in 2023 at the World Junior Championships. Wrede ranks among the top 50 freestylers in the cohort, too.

Best LCM times (converted):

• 50 free – 22.71 (19.73)
• 100 free – 48.75 (42.47)
• 200 free – 1:52.33 (1:38.31)

Cal began competing in the ACC this season, where in 2024 it took 19.20/19.41/19.68 in the 50 free and 42.21/42.65/43.31 in the 100 free to make the A/B/C finals at the conference championship meet. Golden Bears Jack Alexy and Bjorn Seeliger were A finalists in both the 50 free and the 100 free at 2024 NCAA Championships, where Cal placed 2nd behind Arizona State in the team standings. The Cal freestyle relays all medaled: the 4×200 won 1st place, the 4×50 was 2nd, and the 4×100 came in 3rd. So far this year, Nans Mazellier, Evan Petty, Colby Hatton, and Yamato Okadome have been 20.5 or faster in the 50 free, and Mazellier and Matt Jenson have already been 43-low in the 100 free.

Wrede will join Caiden Bowers, Dar Lavrenko, Ian Platts-Mills, Julien Rousseau, Kenneth Barnicle, Matteo Palmisani, Norvin Clontz, Ryan Erisman, and Max Goettsch in Berkeley next fall.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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