Northwestern Men Launch 2026 Recruiting Class with #15 Tona Zinn

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Socal Aquatics Association’s Tona Zinn has verbally committed to Northwestern University for fall 2022. Zinn is a junior at Laguna Hills High School, and he’s ranked #15 on our 2022 recruiting rankings.

Zinn won the 2018 Swammy Award for the top 13-14 boy in the United States.

I chose Northwestern because of the combination of high level Big 10 athletics and elite world-class academics. Plus, being right outside a big city like Chicago allows me to have a unique college experience. Finally, I really enjoyed talking to the coaches and swimmers and couldn’t be more excited to become a wildcat!

TOP TIMES (SCY)

• 200 IM – 1:47.61
• 400 IM – 3:52.08
• 100 fly – 49.83
• 200 fly – 1:47.61
• 100 breast – 55.73
• 200 free – 1:41.99

At the 2019 CIF State Championships, as a freshman, Zinn finished fifth in the 200 IM (1:48.58) and ninth in the 100 breast (55.73). In summer 2019, Zinn competed at the Speedo Junior Nationals, making it to the 200 IM A-final and placing eighth overall. To cap off 2019, as the Speedo Winter Junior Championships – West, Zinn scored in B-finals of the 200 fly and 400 IM.

Zinn has picked up several lifetime bests since the pandemic began. At the Irvine site of the 2020 U.S. Open in November, he went 1:05.68 in the 100m breast and 56.30 in the 100m fly, both LCM bests. At the Senior Holiday Challenge in December hosted by Mesa Aquatic Club in Arizona, Zinn hit lifetime bests in the 200 free (1:41.99) and 200 IM (1:47.61).

Last year, Zinn would’ve ranked #2 on NU’s roster in the 400 IM and #3 in the 200 IM. He would’ve also been #4 in the 200 fly and 100 breast. Northwestern finished fifth at the 2020 Big Ten Championships, a huge jump from placing ninth in 2019. Zinn would’ve been a C-finalist in the 400 IM at that meet, and his best times in the 200 fly and 200 IM are both just off of C-final speed.

Zinn marks Northwestern’s and head coach Katie Robinson‘s second-straight recruiting year with a ranked commit, following their getting #9 Tyler Lu for their 2025 class. Lu is also an IM specialist, boasting PRs of 1:44.8/3:48.1 in the 200/400 IM. Lu holds the 400 IM NAG record in the 13-14 age group, and with his 3:52.08, Zinn came within a second of breaking that when he was still 14.

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