Sprinter Ray Van Deusen Makes Verbal Commitment to NC State

Photo courtesy of Ray Van Deusen

Ray Van Deusen is the latest sprinter to be drawn to North Carolina State University. The 50/100 freestyler from Scottsdale Aquatic Club gave a verbal commitment to join the Wolfpack in the fall of 2017.

“I was looking for a coach who I really felt I could connect with first on a personal level, then on an athlete-coach level. From the first phone call with Todd DeSorbo, I felt a strong connection and really knew we could move forward building our relationship. The thing that sold me the most about their team and school was on my official recruiting trip when I got to witness how the coaches interacted between themselves, they seemed more like friends than coworkers. And same for the athletes. They mingled like best friends not just teammates. They really made me feel right at home, which for me is essential if I’m going to be moving over a thousand miles away from home.”

I just really believe in their program and what they’re trying to achieve. I’m excited to be a part of such an amazing journey.”

Van Deusen was with Coastal Bend AllStars in Corpus Christie, Texas until a year ago, when he moved to Anthem, Arizona and joined SAC. He is mostly a sprint free specialist, and has made some pretty big improvements over the last two years. Van Deusen had a particularly strong summer, in which he went his 6 lifetime bests in the 50m free, 2 best 100m free times, best 200m free by 2.8 seconds, and 4 fastest 100m fly times. He also went all best times in his short-course season.

Homeschooled throughout high school, Van Deusen will swim with Boulder Creek High School in this fall’s Arizona Interscholastic Association boys’ swimming and diving season.

Van Deusen will join fellow-commit Daniel Forndal from Sweden in the Wolfpack class of 2021. With Van Deusen skewing toward the shorter end of the range, and Forndal more in the 100/200 zone, NC State adds two more names to its formidable freestyle group that includes the reigning NCAA 400 freestyle relay title-holders who helped the men’s team finish fourth overall at the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships.