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Summer Juniors qualifier Quinn Heis has announced his commitment to stay in state and swim at Kenyon College beginning in the fall of 2026. He publicized his decision on Instagram, writing:
I’m super excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Kenyon College! I would like to thank all my friends, family, teammates, and coaches that supported me. I especially want to thank my parents, along with Coach Emilee, Coach Amy, and Coach Ben. I also want to thank Coach Dani and Coach Jess for everything they did to make the recruiting process easy. I can’t wait for what’s ahead. Go Lords!
Heis is currently wrapping up his senior year at Cincinnati Mariemont High School, where he was a member of the Warriors’ varsity swimming and diving team all four years. He also trains year-round with the Mason Manta Rays, where his father, Ken Heis, serves as the head coach. His commitment has a family connection as well, as both of his parents swam for the Owls in the late 1990s.
A pure sprint specialist, Heis’ two best events are the 50 and 100 freestyle, with the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, and 200 free a toss-up for his third event.
Heis’ first target meet of the season was Winter Junior Championships – East in December, his first time qualifying for the competition. He swam the 50 and 100 free, clocking a lifetime-best 20.98 for 91st in the former and a season-best 47.07 for 127th in the latter. He went on to lead off the Rays’ fourth-place 200 free relay in a faster 20.65 and split 45.36 on the seventh-place 400 free relay, before also time trialing a 20.53 in the 50 free, which stands as his current career best.
On the high school scene, Heis is a four-time qualifier for the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II State Championships. This past February, he closed out his high school career by helping Cincinnati Mariemont win the 200 medley relay (21.57 fly split), finish runner-up in the 200 free relay (20.73 leadoff), and take fifth in both the 50 free (20.78) and 100 free (46.00), the latter a lifetime best at the time. It was his second year making an ‘A’ final at the meet after taking sixth in the 50 as a junior, and his first time helping a relay score.
Heis wrapped up the 2025-26 short course season at the Ohio Senior Championships, where he clocked several career bests. He finished 11th in both the 50 free (20.67) and 100 free (45.56), 21st in the 100 fly (50.80) and 200 free (1:43.11), and 23rd in the 100 back (51.21).
Over the past 12 months, Heis has dropped over four seconds in the 200 free, two seconds each in the 100 fly and 100 back, nearly a second and a half in the 100 free, and seven tenths in the 50 free, a promising progression as he shifts focus to collegiate swimming.
Beyond the short course pool, Heis qualified to compete at Summer Junior Nationals (LCM) last July. Individually, he raced three 50m events, placing 61st in the 50 free (23.99), 108th in the 50 fly (26.17), and 128th in the 50 back (30.23), with the free and fly just off his best times of 23.71 and 26.15 from earlier in the summer. He also helped the Mason Manta Rays take 27th in the 200 free relay (23.22 anchor), 28th in the 400 medley relay (1:02.12 leadoff), 31st in the 400 free relay (53.18 leadoff, PB), and 33rd in the 200 medley relay, where he led off in a even faster personal best of 28.25 in the 50 back.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 20.53
- 100 Freestyle: 45.56
- 200 Freestyle: 1:43.11
- 100 Butterfly: 50.80
- 100 Backstroke: 51.21
A Division III program, Kenyon competes in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with the men’s team finishing second out of nine teams at this past season’s conference championships before placing fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships.
Heis’ personal bests would have placed him seventh in the 50 free, ninth in the 100 free, 12th in the 100 back, 13th in the 200 free, and 16th in the 100 fly at the conference meet, setting him up to be an immediate scorer. To score at NCAAs, however, times of 20.15/44.44/1:38.33 in the 50/100/200 free, 48.21 in the 100 fly, and 48.64 in the 100 back were needed.
On the team itself, Heis is projected to rank fourth in the 50 free and 100 free, fifth in the 100 back, eighth in the 100 fly, and 12th in the 200 free on a roster that regularly places three to five swimmers in the ‘A’ final of his top events at the conference level. His sprint free speed should make him an immediate relay contributor, as the team finished runner-up in all relays at the conference championships and typically places its relays in the top five at NCAAs.
Heis brings the fastest 100 back time and the second-fastest times in the 50 and 100 free and 100 fly in the Owls’ 2030 recruiting class. He joins Lucas Casey (sprint free), Aiden Gouldson (sprint free/fly), August Pierce (fly/back/middle-distance free), Austin Jones (back), Zander Muilenburg (distance free), and Justin Cady (distance free) in committing to the university’s class of 2030.
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].
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Great to see second generation returns, it shows the kind of positive environment these programs carry with them!
They are not the lords anymore. Quit whining.
I’m sure with a father who was part of the team before the name change, it’s been part of what he grew up with. Old habits die hard – and the alumni all have a very strong attachment to their history. Including the old name. Unsurprising for it to pass down, even if it’s no longer accurate.