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Summer Junior Nationals finalist Bryden Thielenhaus has announced his verbal commitment to UC Santa Barbara for the 2023-2024 season.
“I’m very excited and honored to announce my verbal commitment to study and swim at the University of California-Santa Barbara! I’d like to thank all my friends, family, coaches, and teammates that have supported me throughout my journey and helped me reach this point. I’d also like to thank the Gaucho community for making this dream of mine come true. Go Gauchos!!”
Thielenhaus swims for Thunder Coast Aquatics and Novato High School in Novato, California. He most recently competed at Summer Junior Nationals in August, where he clocked best times in the 100 fly (54.95), 200 fly (2:05.76), and 200 free (1:56.37). He advanced to the ‘C’ final in the 100 fly and finished 24th overall.
Thielenhaus also had a very successful short course season this past spring, including being a finalist at the CIF State Championships in the 100 fly, where he finished eighth in a lifetime best of 49.05. He also competed at the PC NCS Championship in May where he clocked a 1:40.48 in the 200 free for another lifetime best.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 free – 1:40.48
- 50 fly – 22.98 (relay split)
- 100 fly – 49.05
- 200 fly – 1:50.34
UC Santa Barbara competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). At the 2022 MPSF Championships, the Gaucho men finished 2nd behind Brigham Young. Thielenhaus’ best times in the 100 fly and 200 fly time puts him pretty comfortably in the top 16 for both events. UCSB had a strong fly group last year with Dominic Falcon and Austin Sparrow finishing in the top eight of the 200 fly, and Kian Brouwer and Tim Lee finishing top 8 in the 100 fly. Lee was also the UCSB’s butterflier in the 400 medley relay, splitting a 47.20.
Although Falcon, Brouwer, and Lee will all be graduated by the time Thielenhaus arrives on campus, he should still overlap with Sparrow and could provide some valuable depth to UCSB’s fly group. Thielenhaus’ best 200 free time would be UCSB’s fifth-fastest time last season, meaning he also has a good chance of grabbing an 800 free relay spot, especially if he keeps improving over the course of this year.
Thielenhaus joins fellow Californians Jack Nugent, Owen Berry, and Jack Hendrick in UCSB’s class of 2027.
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