Griffin Ayotte, who hails from Colorado Springs, Colorado, has announced his verbal commitment to Queens University of Charlotte for 2019-20. The 6’3” rising senior at Air Academy High School (coach Scott Newell) told SwimSwam:
“I am very excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my swimming and academic goals at Queens University of Charlotte! I want to thank my parents, coaches, friends, and anyone else who had helped me become the person I am today. Go Royals🦁”
Ayotte specializes mainly in free, fly, and IM. He led Air Academy to a 12th-place team finish at the 2018 CHSAA 4A Boys Swim & Dive State Championships in May, notching a pair of runner-up finishes in the 50 free (20.91) and 100 free (44.70), leading off the 7th-place medley relay (23.45), and anchoring the 4th-place 200 free relay (20.24).
Ayotte swims year-round for Altitude Performance Swim Team under Mike Stromberg. He competed at 2017 Winter Juniors West in the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 free, and time-trialed the 100 back and 100 fly, earning a best time in the latter. At last summer’s Western Zones Senior Championships, he was an A-finalist in the 100 free and a B-finalist in the 50 free, 100 back, 100 fly, and 200 IM. He picked up new PBs in all four events plus the 200 free.
Queens Charlotte is coming off its fourth consecutive NCAA team title. Ayotte will suit up for the Royals just after reigning NCAA 100 free and 200 free champ Marius Kusch graduates. He will have 2 years of overlap with current freshman Alen Mosic, who joined Kusch in the championship finals of both events at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championships. Ayotte will also have a training partner in Mosic’s classmate Baptiste Leger, who was an A-finalist in the 200 back.
Top SCY times:
- 200 free – 1:39.73
- 100 free – 44.70
- 200 IM – 1:53.97
- 200 back – 1:51.57
- 100 fly – 51.60
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].
THought it was a young Nathan Adrian at first
I came here to say this!!