Sam Stewart Continues Family SEC Tradition, Commits to Auburn

Sam Stewart from the YMCA Hub Fins in Mississippi has verbally committed to the Auburn Tigers, joining brother Ty (Georgia) in the SEC.

In yards, Sam Stewart has some good times in events like the 200 back (1:50.67), the 200 IM (1:52.19), and 400 IM (3:59.11), but his potential becomes more obvious when looking at his long course times.

While his yards times make him just a Winter Juniors qualifier, in long course Stewart has already qualified for the Olympic Trials in two events, and is close in others.

Stewart’s best times in meters:

• 100 back – 57.96
• 200 back – 2:04.33
• 200 fly – 2:03.42
• 200 IM – 2:04.89
• 400 IM – 4:24.80

Stewart placed in 13th at this summer’s Junior Nationals in the 400 IM, 21st in the 200 IM, and 23rd in the 200 backstroke.

Part of the explanation for the difference between Stewart’s long course and short course times is that he doesn’t swim the Mississippi high school season. On the other hand, he did have a solid taper meet at Winter Juniors in December, so he wasn’t entirely without short course focus. Between that December, 2013 taper and the summer of 2014, however, something really seemed to click and his long course times came together, so it’s as much of a story about timing and “wait and see what he does this season” as anything. For example, he dropped four-and-a-half seconds in the 200 IM and ten seconds in the 400 IM in this last long course season.

Auburn will be excited at his potential, and this offer is a play on hopes that Stewart’s short course swimming will rise to the level of his long course this fall. If his brother Ty’s success as a sophomore last year is any indication, that’s a safe bet: Ty was a First Team All-American in the 400 IM and Honorable Mention in the 200 back.