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Alex Lakatta from Baltimore, Maryland has announced his commitment to continue his academic and athletic careers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill beginning in the 2022-2023 school year.
“The coaches, swimmers, and all-around atmosphere are nothing short of amazing!”
Lakatta swims for North Baltimore Aquatic Club out of Baltimore, MD. In February at the Middle Atlantic York Y Winter Invite, he earned best times in the 100 (49.95) and 200 (1:46.95) backstrokes as well as the 100 butterfly (52.28) and 400 IM (3:51.93). In March, he earned numerous finals swims at the ISCA International Senior Cup. Those finals finishes included eight in the 200 backstroke, 22nd in the 200 IM, and 28th in the 50 backstroke. His 200 IM prelims short course time also earned him a best time of 1:54.96.
At the beginning of the summer, he went to the 18&Under Spring Cup in Richmond. There he earned finals swims in all five of his events and best times in three of them. Those best times included the long course 400 freestyle (4:06.83), 100 backstroke (59.17), and 400 IM (4:30.58). In August, he capped off his long course season at the Summer Championships East. There he earned a 21st place finish in the 200 backstroke in a best time of 2:06.24 and a 31st place finish in the 400 IM.
Lakatta won USA Swimming Scholastic All-American honors in both 2019 and 2020.
His best short course times are:
- 200 IM: 1:54.96
- 400 IM: 3:51.93
- 100 backstroke: 49.95
- 200 backstroke: 1:46.95
- 1000 freestyle: 9:22.52
- 1650 freestyle: 15:46.23
The University of North Carolina is a public university in Chapel Hill, NC. The school is a member of the ACC. At the 2021 ACC Championships, the Tar Heels finished sixth out of 12 teams and were only 11 points behind fifth-place Florida State. The team also sent 11 men to the NCAA Championships where they earned a 24th place finish.
Based on his best times, Lakatta has the potential to make an immediate impact for the Tar Heels at the conference level. His 400 IM best time would have earned him a ‘B’ final swim. He is just off scoring in other events as it took a time of 1:45.29 to earn a second swim in the 200 backstroke and 47.50 in the 100 backstroke.
Lakatta will arrive on campus next fall as a member of the class of 2026 along with Jack Donovan, Reid Miller, Hunter Lund, Spencer Freeman, Jack Guenther, Tyler Robertson, and Patrick Sleater.
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