Princeton Nabs Top 200 Breaststroker in Class of 2024, #15 Andrew Zou

Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Andrew Zou, a high school junior from Longhorn Aquatics in Austin, Texas, has made a verbal commitment to the application process* at Princeton University. He will begin in the fall of 2024.

“I am beyond humbled and honored to announce my verbal commitment to the application process to Princeton University. I thank God for this opportunity, along with my family, friends, and coaches who have supported me on my journey. Lastly, I’d like to thank Coach Matt and Coach Abby for this amazing opportunity. Go Tigers!”

Zou is the top 200 breaststroker in the class of 2024 and we ranked him #15 on our Way Too Early list of boys’ recruits. He was runner-up in the event at Winter Juniors West in December, blasting a PB of 1:56.75 in finals. He also earned a PB in the 100 breast (54.51) to place 11th. He was invited to the 2022 National Select Camp based on his 2:16.38 in the LCM 200 breast this past summer.

Zou attends Regents School in Austin. As a sophomore last season, he won the 200 IM (1:51.24) and 100 breast (55.17) at the TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) Division 2 State Championships. In 2021, he was runner-up in both events (1:51.87/56.26). After high school season, Zou competed first at College Station Sectionals, then Austin Sectionals. At the latter, he clocked PBs of 54.48 to finish second in the 100 breast, and 1:50.48 to come in sixth in the 200 IM.

This summer, he kicked off long course season with a finals appearance (21st) in the 200 breast at International Team Trials. In July, he swam the 100/200 breast and 200 IM, finaling in all three events, at Phillips 66 Nationals. He wrapped up the summer at Speedo Junior Nationals, where he placed 10th in the 200 breast (2:16.38) and clocked a PB of 2:07.80 in the 200 IM.

Zou has two siblings and a dog named Boba. He enjoys playing percussion (cowbell candidate?).

Best SCY times:

  • 100 breast – 54.48
  • 200 breast –1:56.75 (best in class)
  • 200 IM – 1:50.48
  • 400 IM – 3:57.26

Zou will suit up for the Tigers in the fall of 2024 with sprinter Logan Noguchi. His 200 breast time would have scored for Princeton in the A final (along with then-sophomore Brian Lou) at the 2022 Ivy League Men’s Championships. He also would have been a B finalist in the 100 breast and a C finalist in the 400 IM.

*Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour 

Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

FFT SOCIAL

Instagram – @fitterandfasterswimtour
Facebook – @fitterandfastertour
Twitter – @fitterandfaster

FFT is a SwimSwam partner.

28
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

28 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Austin
1 year ago

In addition to being a dedicated athlete, Andrew is an terrific student. A Goal Achiever!

Helber
1 year ago

Beast

AC 98
1 year ago

Very exciting – congratulations!!

P21BU
1 year ago

Whoa!!!! Those times are insane! Princeton’s top 20 NCAA finish is on the horizon

Gummy Shark
1 year ago

Way to go! Princeton is an amazing school!

Sheesh
1 year ago

Wow Princeton putting together a great 2024 class. Andrew is going to be an absolute beast.

Andrew
1 year ago

Yes, these are good gets for Princeton, but these kids are clearly more focused on academics.

Anyone expecting ivies to make waves at NCs prepare to have your expectations subdued

Greg
Reply to  Andrew
1 year ago

Dean Farris, Matt Fallon, Raunak Khosla?

Andrew
Reply to  Greg
1 year ago

Obviously Farris was an exception and a one man recking crew, but I would be shocked if any Ivy League school places top 15 (even top 20) at NCs this year.

Fallon is a one trick pony at the 200 breast, and at best, picks up 18 points as there’s no way he’ll beat Marchand.

You need at least 60-70 points to get top 15 (maybe even more this year) and 30-45 ish to get top 20, so it’s highly unlikely that any ivies place this high.

I’ll certainly be rooting for the ivies, but people expecting top 15 results from a few good recruits need to rethink their expectations

John
Reply to  Andrew
1 year ago

You seem to forget Fallon had one of the best 1000 times out of HS and is also elite at the 4IM (just swims the 100 instead). Maybe the Ivies aren’t quite at top 10 level yet, but that’s not a reason to dismiss the entire league

Nick
Reply to  John
1 year ago

Re Fallon, he indeed had an elite high school 1000 (856 without competition) and an elite 400 IM (344 as a 16 yr old) but I think his approach to the sport is a little different (and IMHO smarter) than most other swimmers, in a way that doesn’t necessarily conduce to maximizing points at conferences or NCAAs. Instead of spreading himself thin, trying to be all things to all people, he seems to be focusing on a single event that he could conceivably win. This is esp true outside of the NCAA as he is obviously a better LCM than SCY swimmer (where contra Andrew he is about a second ahead of Marchand in the 2BR).

Admin
Reply to  Nick
1 year ago

I wonder if this was part of his reasoning for picking Penn. At Cal or Texas or NC State or Florida or etc., he would need to maximize. At Penn…he can prioritize his goals (though I know they’d never say that out loud).

John
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

Dad and brother also went to Penn, and there’s also Wharton

Jim Tuchler
1 year ago

Great choice and congratulations Andrew! I was IM/BR at PU and dropped a lot of time and had a ton of fun. Go Orange and Black!

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

Read More »