NCAA qualifier Anže Ferš Eržen has announced that he will transfer from Iowa to Texas A&M University. Eržen will begin competition for the Aggies in the fall of 2021.
The move comes after the University of Iowa announced that the 2020-2021 NCAA season would be the final one for the swimming & diving program, after more than a century of collegiate swimming in Iowa City.
Last season, as a sophomore at Iowa, Erzen earned an invite to the NCAA Championships in the 200 backstroke as the 24th seed. He was also entered to race the 200 IM in the 58th seed and 34th seed in the 400 IM.
Best Times in Yards:
- 50 back – 22.76
- 100 back – 48.55
- 200 back – 1:41.24
- 200 fly – 1:46.86
- 200 IM – 1:46.14
- 400 IM – 3:45.76
He leaves Iowa as the school record holder in the 200 backstroke, 200 IM, and 400 IM, all of which he broke last season as a sophomore. He also ranks in the top 10 in school history in the 100 back (8th) and 200 fly (7th).
At Texas A&M, he joins what will be one of the top backstroke groups in the country. The head of that group is that Shaine Casas, who will be a senior next year, who led the country in the 200 backstroke last season with a 1:37.20.
Also in that group is Ethan Gogulski, who swam 1:41 in the 200 yard backstroke as a freshman while battling cancer. The backstroking group will get even deeper in the next 2 seasons, with Collin Fuchs (49.1/1:46.6) and Thomas Shomper (49.2/1:45.7) joining the team as a freshman this season, and Tyler Hulet (47.8/1:43.9) also joining the team in the fall of 2021. The Aggies will enter that season, that means, with at least 4 guys who have been 1:43 in the event, with all well within reach of sub-1:40.
The A&M men finished 2nd at last year’s SEC Championship meet and were seeded to score the 6th-most swimming points at last year’s NCAA Division I Championship meet before that meet was eventually canceled.
Eržen is a native of Slovenia, and in his home country last year he was the country’s best 100 backstroker (56.91) and 200 IMer (2:05.16) and their 2nd-best 200 backstroker (2:02.68).
Isn’t Grant Betullius the school record holder in the 100 back? Kid went 45…
Congrats!
Great pick up for A&M
Curious what he will do this 20-21 school year. Will he continue to train & compete for Iowa, since technically they still have a team this year?
Great move Anze👍👍. Welcome to Aggieland👍!! Wishing you the best in the pool & in the classroom!! Gig em forever👍👍.
Good pick up for Texas A&M. Sad for Iowa
Iowa cut both men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. Not sad for them. At all.