Swimming’s Top 25 Uncommitted High School Juniors (Girls – Class of 2021)

While many of the country’s top programs have turned their recruiting focus to the class of 2022 (no contact with athletes is allowed yet, but calls to club and high school coaches are rampant), there are still a number of instant-impact swimmers available in the high school class of 2021.

Included among them are three of the top 10 swimmers in SwimSwam’s class of 2021 rankings: Amy Tang from the Pacific Dragons Swim Team in Bellevue, Washington; and Samantha Tadder, from Tide Swim Team in Virginia Beach.

The reason for these swimmers not being committed yet could be any one of a number of things, including:

1. They haven’t made a decision yet
2. They’ve committed privately but haven’t made it public yet
3. They’ve chosen a school with special entrance requirements. These schools, like the Ivies and U.S. Military Academies, have long eschewed these early commitments, believing the higher entrance standards for their schools make admissions more in doubt, but that’s beginning to shift: Navy and Harvard, for example, both already have public commitments in the class of 2021
4. We’ve missed their commitment announcement (we looked really hard though).
5. They’ve decided to skip college and go pro.
6. They’ve decided to go to college and not swim.

But if you’re looking for a short list of which remaining impact swimmers your favorite program might still be adding in the class of 2021, below are the top remaining targets in that group.

This list is roughly ranked, but not precisely ranked. Our updated class of 2021 rankings are being used below and will be released in full later this week.

• See the original class of 2021 rankings here.

Ranked Swimmers Remaining

*HM = Honorable Mention, BOTR = Best of the Rest

#2 Torri Huske – Yorktown High School/Arlington Aquatic Club, Arlington, Virginia

Best Times: 50 free – 21.83, 100 free – 48.19, 200 free – 1:46.07, 100 fly – 50.49, 200 fly – 1:55.17, 200 IM – 1:56.65

A bona fide star in the making, Huske is the one swimmer remaining in the class who, even just by her commitment, can make a program more prestigious. She’s the U.S. Open champion in the 100 fly in long course and the National Public High School Record holder in the 100 fly in short course. Her best time in the 50 free and 100 fly are already NCAA National Championship A-final worthy.

#4 Amy Tang – Lakeside High School/Pacific Dragons Swim Team, Bellevue Washington

Best Times: 50 free – 22.06, 100 free – 48.11, 200 free – 1:46.64, 100 back – 52.17, 100 fly – 52.95

Tang blasted her way up the national rankings with a 22.06 in the 50 free and 48.11 in the 100 free in December at the Winter Junior Championships – West. Her sprint free times put her on almost any free relay in the country already.

#8 – Samantha Tadder – First Colonial High School/Tide Swim Team, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Best Times: 500 free – 4:44.15, 1000 free – 9:39.37, 1650 free – 16:13.03, 400 IM – 4:07.15, 200 breast – 2:11.76, 100 breast – 1:00.95

Tadder will likely be an NCAA qualifier as a freshman. A native of Virginia, Tadder lives in the heart of ACC country, where the tide is rising quickly, but she told a local newspaper 3 weeks ago that her decision was down to Texas, Stanford, and Kentucky.

HM* – Alicia Henry – Alpharetta High School/Dynamo Swim Club, Alpharetta, Georgia

Best Times: 100 breast – 1:00.20, 200 breast – 2:15.36

Alicia Henry is the top 100-yard breaststroke in the class, though she doesn’t offer much versatility yet. Still, great relay breaststrokers have long been a bugaboo for a number of top 10 programs, so there will still be lots of demand for a 1:00.2 breaststroke. She’s the defending Georgia big school state champion in that 100 breast.

BOTR* – Vanessa Chong – Cardozo High School/Badger Swim Club, Oakland Gardens, New York

Best Times: 100 fly – 53.52, 200 fly – 1:59.97, 200 IM – 2:01.91, 

Chong has shown steady improvement throughout her high school career, though she missed her junior year Sectionals meet, which is where many of her best times came as a sophomore.

BOTR* – Meghan Lynch – Greenwich High School/Greenwich YWCA Dolphins, Greenwich, Connecticut

Best Times: 100 breast – 1:02.28, 200 breast – 2:12.29, 200 IM – 1:59.04, 400 IM – 4:12.07

A well-known name from her days as a dominant age grouper, Lynch is another swimmer who missed out on her big junior season taper meet, which has been NCSA Spring Junior Nationals in past years. She had big time drops as a sophomore though, and she’s proven that the talent is there throughout her swimming life.

Others

KyAnh Truong – Westwood HIgh School/Western Hills Athletic Club, Austin, Texas

Best Times: 50 free – 22.69, 100 free – 50.26, 100 fly – 53.72

Kailyn Winter – Soquel High School/Quicksilver Swimming, Soquel, California

Best Times: 50 free – 22.98, 100 free – 50.40, 100 fly – 54.02

Mia Chang – Jackson High School/Bellevue Club Swim Team, Bellevue, Washington

Best Times: 50 free – 23.66, 100 free – 49.37, 200 IM – 1:59.71, 200 back – 1:56.74

Aurora Roghair – Iowa City West High School/Iowa Flyers Swim Club, Iowa City, Iowa

Best Times: 100 free – 50.95, 200 free – 1:48.40, 500 free – 4:47.41, 1000 free – 9:54.41, 1650 free – 16:35.60

Yixuan Chang – Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club, Stamford, Connecticut

Best Times: 100 free – 49.95, 200 free – 1:48.76, 500 free – 4:49.46, 1650 free – 16:34.73

Note: Chang is a Chinese National, but has spent significant time living and training in the U.S. 

Joy Jiang – Scarsdale Senior High School/Westchester Aquatic Club, Scarsdale, New York

Best Times: 100 fly – 55.12, 200 fly – 1:59.51, 200 IM – 2:06.03, 400 IM – 4:26.24, 200 free – 1:50.99

Note: Jiang’s long course times, including a 1:01.64 in the 100 meter fly, indicate she has better yards performances to come.

Justine Murdock – Cranbrook Kingswood School/Atlantis Swimming-BBA, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Best Times: 100 back – 54.36, 200 back – 1:56.48, 100 fly – 56.97

Kathryn Shanley – Chatfield High School/Foothills Swim Team, Littleton, Colorado

Best Times: 200 free – 1:48.21, 500 free – 4:49.07, 1650 free – 16:24.16

Anna Shaw – Heritage High School/University of Denver Hilltoppers, Littleton, Colorado

Best TImes: 50 free – 22.94, 100 free – 49.85

Kailia Utley – Mater Dei High School/Irvine Novaquatics, Huntingon Beach, California

Best Times: 100 fly – 53.66, 200 fly – 2:00.66, 100 back – 54.89, 200 back – 1:58.89

Kristin Cornish – /Horace Greeley High School/BGC – N. Westchester Marlins, Chappaqua, New York

Best Times: 200 free – 1:50.34, 500 free – 4:51.26, 1000 free – 9:50.37, 1650 free – 16:37.87

Aris Runnels – Colgan High School/NCAP, Manassas, Virginia

Best Times: 50 free – 23.85, 100 free – 51.97, 100 back – 53.80, 100 fly – 54.96

Jaime Chen – Newport High School/Bellevue Club Swim Team, Bellevue, Washington

Best Times: 100 free – 50.12, 100 fly – 54.11, 200 fly – 1:59.52

Reese Dehen – Anoka High School/Great Wolf Swim Team, Anoka, Minnesota

Best Times: 100 breast – 1:02.07, 200 breast – 2:13.63, 200 IM – 2:01.16

Clare Vetkoetter – Wakeland High School/Texas Ford Aquatics, Frisco, Texas

Best Times: 500 free – 4:54.35, 1000 free – 10:01.38, 1650 free – 16:45.00

Quinn Murphy – Phoenix Country Day School/Phoenix Swim Club, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Best Times: 100 back – 53.75, 200 back – 1:59.14, 100 free – 50.75, 200 free – 1:49.45

Avery Bargeron – The Lovett School/Dynamo Swim Club, Atlanta, Georgia

Best Times: 100 fly – 53.98, 200 fly – 1:59.97, 100 back – 55.24, 200 back – 2:03.77