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Alex Richardson, a Michigan High School Division II State Finalist, has announced his decision to remain in state with his verbal commitment to Northern Michigan University. Richardson is from Grand Rapids, where he is entering his senior year at Northview High School.
I have always dreamt about having the opportunity to study and swim at a collegiate level, and from the moment I took my first visit to NMU. I felt like I was taking a step into the future. I can see that NMU has countless opportunities waiting for me and being in such a beautiful place and in my home state, I can not wait to dive in!
Richardson currently swims for North Kent Aquatic Team out of Rockford, Michigan. He specializes in sprint freestyle, breastroke, and IM events.
Best Times SCY:
- 50 free- 21.71
- 100 free- 48.36
- 100 breast- 58.98
- 200 breast- 2:14.59
- 200 IM- 1:56.77
At the Michigan High School Division II (medium-sized schools), Richardson swam the individual 100 breaststroke and 200 IM. He was also a member of Northview High School’s 200 free relay.
In the 100 breast, he set a new personal best of 59.29 in prelims, qualifying 8th. In finals, he dropped time again to go 58.98, remaining in 8th place. Richardson lowered his personal best in the 200 IM twice as well, going 1:57.30 in prelims and 1:56.77 in finals. He finished 14th overall.
On the 200 free relay, Richardson led off in a best time of 21.71, breaking 22 seconds for the first time. The relay finished 7th overall.
In July, Richardson competed at the Cleveland Speedo Sectionals. He swam the 50 free, 50 breast, 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 IM (all LCM). His highest finish came in the 50 breast, where he finished 13th overall in a new personal best of 30.74. Before the meet, his best time had been 31.08.
In the 100 breast, Richardson swam 1:10.13 in prelims, qualifying 30th. He finished 35th in finals with a 1:10.67. His best time of 1:08.82 is from April.
Northern Michigan University is a Division II program that competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic (GLIAC) conference. At the 2022 Championships, they finished 2nd to Grand Valley State, out of 7 total teams. Grand Valley finished with 989 points, while NMU had 585.
With his best time, Richardson would have placed 20th in the 100 breast at last year’s championships. He would have been 3rd for NMU. For the Wildcats, current junior Roberto Camera won the event in 54.34. Current sophomore Niels Callewaert and recent graduate Freddie Deweese finished 10th and 15th, respectively.
Richardson is expected to arrive in Marquette ahead of the 2023-2024 season. He is the first recruit for NMU from the class of 2023.
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