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Emma Weber from Boulder, Colorado has announced her verbal commitment to the University of Virginia for 2022-23. Weber ranks 8th on our Way Too Early list of girls recruits from the high school class of 2022. She wrote on social media:
“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of Virginia to further my academic and athletic career! I would like to thank my coaches, family, and friends for getting me to this point! GO HOOS! 🧡💙⚔️”
Weber is the reigning Colorado 5A high school state champion in the 100 breast. She earned the crown as a freshman representing Fairview High School at the 2019 CHSAA Girls 5A State Championships, where she went 1:02.04 (altitude-adjusted to 1:01.94). She also contributed to the winning 200 medley (28.14 breaststroke split) and 200 free (23.90 split) relays, and tied for 8th in the 200 IM (2:07.12), all of which helped Fairview to win the state title. Weber then transferred to Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora and sat out her sophomore year season.
Weber does her club swimming with University of Denver Hilltoppers. As the only sub-1:00 100 breaststroker (as of now) in the high school class of 2022, she is a big get for the Cavaliers. Her 100/200 breast times are already very close to what it took to get invited to the NCAA Championships in 2020, and she has been improving in the IM.
Best Times:
- 100 breast – 59.74
- 200 breast – 2:10.39
- 200 IM – 2:02.30
Weber was runner-up in the 100 breast (59.74) and 200 breast (2:10.39) and finished 23rd in the 200 IM (2:02.57) at 2019 Winter Juniors West. She swam a 27.75 breast split on the Hilltoppers’ runner-up 200 medley relay, the fastest in the field, and 1:00.21 on the winning 400 medley relay. At 2019 Summer Junior Nationals, she won the 200 breast with 2:29.90 and was runner-up in the 100 breast with 1:08.73. Both times are under the 2020 Olympic Trials standards.
Despite the glut of talent building at UVA, Weber will be of immediate use to the Cavs. In the 100 breast, only Alexis Wenger (57.91) and Kate Douglass (59.93) were faster than Weber last year, and Wenger will have graduated by the time Weber arrives in Charlottesville. Ella Nelson (2:05.68), Douglass (2:05.89), and Wenger (2:09.20) were the only 200 breaststrokers faster than Weber. The incoming freshman class of 2025 includes Alex Walsh (58.19/2:05.87) and Anna Keating (59.04/ 2:09.26), so Weber will have a world-class training group upon arrival. She will join the Virginia class of 2026 with #4 Claire Tuggle, Izzy Bradley, Sophia Knapp, and #15 Zoe Skirboll.
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Congrats! Too bad her hometown University can’t manage a D1 swim Program.😐
Congrats Emma Weber, say hi to the fam from the Vargas.
Congrats Emma! Best of luck!
How the heck does UVA get so many recruits to commit so early?
What is their tactic?
Pressure
Last year they tried to get as many as possible for their first recruiting weekend so the kids hadn’t been on any other trips yet. Then told the kids they would give them a certain amount of money but the offer was only good for 2 weeks.
I really like the whole crew there. I hope that’s not true.
Certainly is true, but they’re far from the only program that uses those tactics. They use the tactics, and are a more attractive program, so it actually works for them
Isn’t going to work very long. Wont work in my house.
It is true.
What parent would think a coercive method like that would be in their child’s best interest? If that method is used initially, likely to be repeated throughout next 4 years.
It’s a two-way street. The alternative you seem to be proposing is this: Coach makes offer to swimmer and leaves it open indefinitely. Swimmer waits for 6 months, and then declines the offer. Coach scrambles for plan B — but all other comparable swimmers (who would have liked to have come to that school) have now committed elsewhere.
And, don’t forget, for some of these top top swimmers, at a school like UVA, if you’re out of state, it’s in the neighborhood of a $250,000 offer.
That’s a quarter-of-a-million dollars.
I don’t blame coaches for needing an answer on a quarter-of-a-million dollar offer within some reasonable time frame.
Almost every coach in the country uses this tactic to some degree when there’s substantial scholarship money on the table, for the reasons swimgeek pointed out. If it’s book money, maybe it’s open-ended.
The ones who get in trouble are the ones who try to run on some obscene 48-hour time line. A recent head coach (won’t name names) who was at one point very successful started doing this, and… Read more »
GTFO, what is this? I’m not convinced 2-6 weeks is enough for any young person. It would certainly exclude you from other schools with different commitment standards.
Same tactic as the “cool” fraternity/sorority/social group, complete with the charismatic and arrogant leaders. Make the 16 year old kid want to be part of the cool club, show elitist disdain for any other team, and continue to feed the elitism when they are let “in”. Tried and true formula from high school hallways through time. Only this is being led by adults dangling money and opportunity in front of kids who were in middle school 2.5 years ago. Surprised they continue to fool some of the world’s best swimmers, their parents, and their coaches.
You’re trying too hard to make this stretch.
You’re a clown.
Ouch. Feelings hurt. Well thought out and hard hitting response.
And, as you’ve shown yourself to be a UVA insider sycophant, point proven.
1. They’ve got a reputation for being a high energy, fun place to swim.
2. At this point they have so much momentum that they’re seen as one of two places where you can potentially win ncaas (as a team).
3. Many of the top recruits, national team type swimmers know each other and are already friends.
4. Their ability to get so many recruits means swimmers who get offered scholarships there feel like if they don’t take the offer quickly someone else as fast or faster will.
I would agree. I’m getting recruited by them and that is a tactic that they try to use. They don’t explicitly say it just implicitly it’s their big time. Kinda gets annoying.
Wow. Congrats to Ms. Weber!
UVA doing it again.
With Weyant deferring enrollment, wouldn’t she count in the Class of ’26 now?
no, weyant would be ’24 if she went there this fall, she will be ’25