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.
Hunter Cehelnik has announced his decision to further his education and swimming career at the University of California-San Diego. Cehelnik, a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, has a year remaining at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California. He also trains and competes year-round with the Mission Viejo Nadadores.
Cehelnik shared his reasons for choosing UC San Diego with SwimSwam:
“UCSD has everything needed to provide more than what is enough to succeed as a person trying to be the best they can be, swimmer with Olympic dreams, and person who craves to learn!”
Cehelnik is primarily a sprint freestyler. At the 2023 CIF State Championships this spring, he finished 5th in the 100 freestyle in a personal best time of 44.27. He also raced individually in the 50 free, going a 20.63 in finals to take 10th. Additionally, Cehelnik was part of both of his school’s freestyle relays. He led off the 200 freestyle relay with a 20.74 during finals, as well as anchored the 400 freestyle relay in 43.58.
More recently, Cehelnik raced at the Junior National Championships in Irvine. He advanced to the C-final in the 100m freestyle with a best time of 51.33 in prelims. He was slightly slower in finals, but ultimately finished 23rd (51.42). He also notched a personal best in the 50m free with a time of 23.90 to finish 66th overall.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 free – 20.53
- 100 free – 44.46
- 200 free – 1:38.70
UC San Diego is currently led by Marko Djordjevic, who is entering his 5th season at the helm of the program. This past season they finished 5th at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships with a total of 409 points.
Cehelnik is poised to make an impact for the Tritons at the conference level, as he is already within MPSF scoring range in the 100 freestyle and is just outside it in the 50. Andrija Petkovic won the B-final of the 100 in 44.10, while Aidan Rikic was the top finisher for the team in the 50 at 20th (20.56). Rikic will still be on campus when Cehelnik arrives in 2024.
Joining Cehelnik in the Tritons’ class of 2028 is Jacob Wang, Sam Baker, Jack O’Shaughnessy, and Aiden Griffith. Baker is from Colorado, while the rest of the class are in-state recruits from California.
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.
Hunter is a top notch guy! Very excited to see what he’s going to accomplish at UCSD and in college swimming as well. The tritons got an incredible athlete to join them.