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Clark Apuada of Salinas, California, has announced his commitment to swim and study at the University of the Pacific, beginning next fall. He trains year-round with Quicksilver Swimming and is set to graduate from Salinas High School in the spring.
Apuada confirmed the commitment to SwimSwam in an email, writing:
I am humbled to announce my commitment to the University of the Pacific to further my academic and athletic career! I would like to thank my family and especially my parents for their unwavering support in all my endeavors over the years. Thank you to my friends and all the people I’ve met in this close-knit community for the wonderful experiences I’ve had so far. To Coach Lucas and my teammates at Quicksilver Swimming, I’m extremely grateful for your belief in me. A special thank you to Coach Katelyne and Coach Nate for giving me this amazing opportunity. The end of a chapter only brings the beginning of what more is in store through God’s plan!
Apuada is a sprint freestyle specialist who also has a strong 100 butterfly. He qualified and competed at the 2024 Winter Junior Championships, held in December, where he touched the wall 88th in the 50 free (21.01), 89th in the 100 free (46.08), and 93rd in the 100 fly (50.19). His time in the 100 fly represented a new career best, while he added 15 hundredths in the 50 free and just over half a second in the 100, times he swam at a local club meet a week prior.
Moving through the 2024–25 season, his two target meets of the high school season were the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Central Coast Section Championships and the CIF State Championships, both held in early May.
At Sectionals, Apuada broke through in the 100 free, cutting 0.18 off his best in prelims to qualify seventh for the final in 45.18. He then dropped another 0.32 to break 45 for the first time, touching at 44.89 for sixth. He also made the top eight in the 50 free, where he took eighth in 21.29 after just missing his best by 0.02 in prelims when he stopped the clock at 20.88. It was right on par with his placements from 2024, when he touched seventh in both races with times of 20.96 and 46.58.
Apuada’s time in the 100 qualified him for State, and he posted a pair of 45-low swims. He notched 45.23 in prelims to advance to the B final in 15th place, then touched 45.45 for 14th in the final.
In 2024, he only qualified for State in the 50, placing 19th with a time of 21.07.
Over the summer, Apuada qualified and competed at the Futures Championships, where he took 22nd in the 100 free (52.55), 43rd in the 50 back (28.66), 49th in the 50 free (24.41), and 55th in the 50 fly (26.33). Beyond his individual swims, he helped Quicksilver grab gold in the 200 and 400 free relays with splits of 23.37 and 51.97, respectively.
- 50 Freestyle: 20.86
- 100 Freestyle: 44.89
- 100 Butterfly: 50.19
The University of the Pacific, a Division I swimming program competing in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), is led by head coach Katelyne Herrington, who is entering her seventh year at the helm. The men won the conference title in 2025, finishing 41 points ahead of 2nd-place Incarnate Ward.
Apuada is poised to make an immediate impact at the conference level, as his personal best times in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly would have earned a spot in the A-final at last season’s championship meet.
On the team itself, Apuada would have ranked third in the 100 free, fifth in the 50 free, and eighth in the 100 fly. Senior Mitchell Hopper led the way in the sprint freestyles with times of 20.41 and 43.39, while freshman Javier Lopez Guillen was the top 100 flyer at 46.85.
Apuada joins Matthew Nakayama as one of two publicized recruits in the Tigers’ class of 2030, giving Pacific a pair of sprint freestyle and fly specialists. Nakayama owns faster times in the 50 free (20.68) and 100 fly (49.27), while Apuada holds the advantage in the 100 free by 1.24 seconds.
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Oh k, so he’s never gonna be another Michael Phelps who made the Olympics in high school.
Clark Kent!!
They call him superman