Thanks to Phil McDade of WISCA.net, a site dedicated to high school swimming in Wisconsin, for contributing to this report.
Distance swimmer Kaersten Meitz from Wisconsin has verbally committed to the Purdue Boilermakers,making her the second commitment from the Waukesha Express headed to West Lafayette next fall.
Meitz has yards bests of 4:50.56, 9:54.44, and 16:36.77 in the 500, 1000, and 1650 yard freestyles.
She’ll join a Purdue training group that is burgeoning with distance talent; 2013-2014 sophomore Allie Davis led the Boilermakers with a 4:45.61 in the 500 and 16:27.87 in the mile, and junior Megan Gallagher was a 4:49.23 and 16:39.06 in the same.
Just as Purdue distance swimming is rising, so too is that of the conference. Of the top 24 milers in the conference last year, only two were seniors. None of the top 10 in the 500 in the conference last year were seniors.
Meitz is the defending Wisconsin Division I (large schools) state champion in the 500 free, but as good as she is in the distance races, here’s what’s really scary: at the Wisconsin High School State Championship meet, she showed enough speed to split 23.70 in the 50 free on a relay.
She will join her teammate Abby Jagdfeld, who has already committed to Purdue as well.
