Four months after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, Khalil Fonder has announced he will be swimming at Virginia Tech beginning next fall. Fonder graduated from William Byrd High School in Vinton, Virginia before heading to Arizona State in the fall of 2018. As a freshman he competed at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships in the 100 fly and 100 back, placing 8th and 14th, respectively. He went on to swim for the Sun Devils at 2019 NCAAs in prelims on the 200 and 400 medley relays. He swam fly on both, going splits of 20.51 and 46.64. Fonder swam the first half of his sophomore season but didn’t compete for ASU after January 2020.
Fonder will return to his home state where he was an 8-time VHSL state champion in the 100 fly and 100 back from 2015-18 and where he set the VHSL records in the 100 fly and 100 back in 2018. He will follow in the footsteps of his sisters, Jamie Hill, who was an athlete at Virginia Tech for four years, and Kyndal Terrel, who was an athlete at Radford University.
Top SCY times:
- 50 Free – 20.34 (20.26 relay split)
- 100 Free – 43.85
- 100 Fly – 46.15
- 100 Back – 46.88
- 200 Back – 1:45.88
Fonder’s best times would have scored for the H2Okies at 2020 ACC Men’s Championships in the A final of the 100 fly, B final of the 100 back, and C finals of the 100 free and 200 back. It took 20.00 to make it back in the 50 free.
“I could not be happier to have the caliber of swimmer like Khalil Fonder join the Hokie Family. After speaking with and getting to know him, I believe he will have a positive impact on our team not just in the water but as a person. Our team has been taking steady and good steps towards competing with the best in the country and now with Khalil being a Hokie we just took a big jump forward. It is exciting times for the Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving program!” -Sergio Lopez Miro
Hokies now have an absolutely nasty butterfly group. Not saying this is the year NC state gets upset, but the Hokies are looking primed for a breakout season.
Your move, Indiana….
I guess he was just fonder of his of home state.
I’ll see myself out.
He’s here all week, folks.
I must ask again, should it be called a transfer when they were removed from the team for discipline reasons.
Ummm, yes?
I heard Guerra is the water boy for Arizona Wildcats
No, he’s the personal trainer that Bowman fired.
I’m curious as to why one of SwimSwam’a readers makes such hateful and disparaging comments about Coach Bob Bowman but chooses to not use his/her own actual name after trashing . Seems sort of of cowardly. I’ve noticed he/she has done so more than once. Coach B successfully mentored the greatest Olympian of all time for his entire international career. MP could have switched coaches any time he wanted along the way. That says something. While everyone is entitled to there own opinion regarding just about anything, taking anonymous cheap shots at well known personalities seems (to me) to be crass and unbecoming.
I wish Khalil Fonder the best. Ditto Virginia Tech and Arizona State. Same goes for Coaches… Read more »
BUT HE’S A PERSONAL TRAINER!
I don’t think MP could have swim as well with other coaches.
Bowman played multiple roles in MP’s life. He gave him more time and attention and support than any other coach could have given MP.
I heard that Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport is building a special club in the airport terminal called the Transfer Portal Lounge for all the former Arizona State swimmers escaping from Bob Bowman.
Wow that’s crazy another sky harbor joke. Do you peruse swim swam hourly or daily looking for ASU articles? At this point you might be considered a fan given how much internet traffic you give them.
U big mad online?
Well, well, well… Another “satisfied” Arizona State customer under Bob Bowman! Virginia Tech is a great choice for Khalil. Better coaching, better school and close to home and family. I’m shocked that his Dad, who was his club coach, supported him going to Arizona State to swim for Bowman in the first place. Fortunately, it’s not too late to turn things around and Khalil will get a lot faster in Blacksburg.
Bob bowman took over the program when they did not place at NCAA’s the previous year. (14/15) This year they were seeded to get 7th before COVID. Maybe stop blaming the coaching and start blaming the swimmer. Not everyone can handle the standards the team has now..
There is no chance in hell that ASU would have been top 10 at NCAAs this year.
A comment based on actual pre-meet performances is significantly more reasonable than a “… no chance in …” comment without rational analysis.