Braden Ripken has announced his commitment to further his education and swimming career at Gustavus Adolphus College. Ripken’s decision keeps him in-state, as he recently graduated from Spring Lake Park High School in Minnesota.
Ripken will follow in the footsteps of his father and older brother. His father, Bryan Ripken swam for Gustavus through 1994 and graduated holding school records in four events. His older brother, Kieran Ripken, will begin his third year at Gustavus this fall and specializes in a mix of breaststroke and sprint events.
“I committed to the Gustavus swim team not only because of the faster roster and strong coaching staff, but also because of the amazing culture that Jon Carlson has built. I’m so excited to race and compete the next 4 years at Gustavus! Go Gusties!”
Ripken trains and competes year-round with the Minnesota Flyers. Similar to his brother and father, he swims breaststroke and sprint freestyle events and currently owns a Winter Juniors cut in the 50m freestyle.
Ripken recently raced at Speedo Sectionals in Des Moines, where he earned as high as 22nd in the 100m breaststroke. He posted a best time of 1:07.19 in finals to drop over a second from his previous best that he had set last summer.
In the spring, he represented his high school at the Minnesota Boy’s Class AA High School State Championship. He came away with the state title in the 50 freestyle, as he touched 1st in a best time of 20.69 in finals. He also tied for 5th in the 100 breast (57.25), but was as fast as 56.82 in prelims of the event.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 free – 20.69
- 100 free – 47.70
- 50 breast – 25.98
- 100 breast – 56.82
Gustavus, located in St. Peter, Minnesota, is a Division III program in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The team is led by head coach Jon Carlson, who took over in 1990.
The Gustavus men won their 4th straight MIAC title this year with a total of 969 points. Ripken would have been the team’s 3rd-fastest performer this season in both the 50 free and 100 breast, while in the 100 free he would have been 4th best. Leading the way in the 50 freestyle was Andrew Becker (20.28), while his brother had the fastest 100 breast at 55.77.
Joining Ripken in the Gustavus Adolphus’ incoming class of 2027 is fellow Minnesota native Ben Kell, who swims mid-distance freestyle and backstroke.
