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Ryan Zerpa from Alpha Aquatics in Los Angeles, California has announced his verbal commitment to Purdue University for 2021-22.
“I am thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and swimming career at Purdue University. I would like to thank everyone who supported me on my journey including my outstanding family, friends, coaches, and teachers. It is a dream come true to be able to attend such an amazing university and to join a team of such exceptional guys. I truly can’t wait to be a Boilermaker. Boiler Up!!!”
Zerpa is a senior at Hamilton High School. He became the first swimmer to represent Hamilton at the California State Championships in 2019, his first year of high school swimming. As a sophomore, he won the 100 back (51.96) at the CIF LA City Section Championships before moving on to the state meet. At the Section meet, he also led off the 10th-place 200 medley relay (24.73) and swam in the A final of the 100 fly (where he was DQd for a 15m violation. Zerpa did not have a junior year season due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Zerpa just turned 16 in the spring of 2020, so he will enter college as a 17-year-old. Zerpa is a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and a National Hispanic Recognition Award winner. His father, originally from Venezuela, is a first-generation American citizen. Zerpa started swimming seriously at 12 and really began to blossom as a sprinter once he started training under Venezuelan Olympian, Octavio Alesi, in January 2019. Prior to that, he played basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Zerpa is a Summer Juniors qualifier in the 100 fly. He picked up 4 new PBs in the 50/100 free and 100/200 fly at Carlsbad Sectionals in February, just two months going best times in the 100/200 back at CA/NV Sectionals in East Los Angeles in December. There, he was an A finalist (top-6) in the 100/200 back and 200 fly. In the summer of 2019 he earned 2 gold medals (100m fly and 200m back) and 2 silver medals (100m back and 200m fly) at the SCS JAG Championships before going on to final in two events at Mt Hood Futures.
Top SCY times:
- 100 fly – 48.83
- 200 fly – 1:52.27
- 50 back – 24.73
- 100 back – 51.02
- 200 back – 1:53.01
- 50 free – 21.94
- 100 free – 47.10
Zerpa will join the Boilermakers with fellow class of 2025 verbal commits Brady Samuels, Idris Muhammad, Lance Lesage, and Luke Fortner.
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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Absolutely legendary for donning a fedora in his commitment pic. I love it