Virginia State Runner-Up & Jrs. Cut Holder, Pablo Silva, Commits to Virginia Tech (2024)

by Mark Wild 2

June 28th, 2023 ACC, College Recruiting, News

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Deciding to remain in-state, Virginian Pablo Silva has committed to continue this academic and athletic career at Virginia Tech. Silva will make the roughly 3-hour drive west to arrive on campus in the fall of 2024.

Proud to announce my verbal commitment to swim at Virginia Tech. Thank you Coach Albert and Sergio and the rest of the VT staff for giving me this opportunity. Thanks to my friends, family, and coaches who made this possible, especially coach Norm and Megan who were the best coaches I could’ve asked for, and my mom who has been my #1 supporter since day 1, wouldn’t have gotten here without any of you. Go Hokies 

The soon-to-be senior attends Mills E. Godwin High School, which is just outside of Richmond. At the 2023 Virginia High School Class 5 State Championships held this past February, he helped lead his high school to the team title, swimming a then personal best of 1:53.73 in the 200 IM to place 4th overall (a month later he dropped it to 1:52.40). While not a personal best, he did place a little higher in the 100 breast, finishing runner-up in the 100 breast touching in 57.69 behind only Jay Gerloff’s 56.49. In the relays, he swam the breaststroke leg (26.31). of his school’s championship-winning 200 medley relay as well as anchoring the team to a 3rd place finish in the 400 free relay (47.38).

Representing NOVA of Virginia Aquatics year-round, Silva swam a personal best of 57.18 in the 100 breast at the 2022 NC SwimMAC LC-SC Invite back in November. At the NCSA Spring Championship, he swam to an 18th-place finish and a new best time of 2:00.68 in the 200 breast.

In long course, both his 100 (1:05.64) and 200 (2:23.09) breast best times were set this year and both represent 2023 Summer Junior cuts. The 100 time comes from the Richmond Speedo Sectionals meet, where he also set best times in the 50m free (25.59) and 100m free (55.43).

Best Times SCY:

  • 100 Breast – 57.18
  • 200 Breast – 2:00.68
  • 200 IM – 1:52.40

In the fall of 2024, Silva will join a Virginia Tech Hokies squad that, under head coach Sergio Lopez, finished runner-up at the 2023 ACC Championships to NC State. His closest event to scoring range for the Hokies would be the 200 breast where his 2:00.68 is just a little over a second away from making the ‘C’ final, 24th place in the prelims was 1:59.20. To make it back to finals in the 200 IM iit took 1:46.37 and 54.26 in the 100 breast.

In the 100 breast, Virginia Tech put three swimmers into the championship final, led by junior Carles Coll Marti’s 3rd-place finish (51.84). Marit also placed  2nd in the 200 (1:50.90) top amongst the other two Virginia Tech Hokies. Having only just wrapped up his junior year of high school, Silva still has over 12 months to drop his times into scoring range.

Projected to join him on campus in 2024 are Hayden Sunman, an IMer from Florida, and mid-distance freestyler Danny Bishop, a native of Texas. Remaining in-state like Silva is fellow breaststroker/IMer Eli Martin, free/flier H. T. Tragle, and distance swimmer JC Gordon.

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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Aquaman
1 year ago

Need to keep more VA swimmers home…getting raided

Tyson Huynh
1 year ago

W commit🙏