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One of the top swimmers in Pennsylvania’s class of 2024, Zach Zornan Ferguson has announced his decision to swim for West Virginia University next fall. A Junior National qualifier in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, Zornan Ferguson is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he attends Fox Chapel Area High School and trains with Racer X Aquatics.
“I am very excited to announce my verbal commitment to West Virginia University to continue my studies and athletics. I want to thank Coaches Vic and Rick and the WVU team for making it such a welcoming environment. A special thanks to Coach Jim for supporting me along this process. Go, Mountaineers!”
Last March, Zornan Ferguson finished in the top three of the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles at the Sectionals Championships in Christiansburg. His top finish came in the 50, where he came away with gold in a lifetime best of 20.50. He also added a runner-up finish in both the 100 free (45.10) and 200 free (1:39.32).
Three months earlier, he competed at the Winter Junior Championships-East, racing all three sprint freestyle events. His top finish at the meet came in the 200 free, with his time of 1:39.56 being good enough to earn him thirty-second.
Top SCY Times
- 50 free – 20.50
- 100 free – 44.72
- 200 free – 1:39.32
Even with a year of high school left to improve, Zornan Ferguson is already fast enough to be a boost to the Mountaineers when he arrives on campus. During the 2022-2023 school year, he would have been the team’s fourth-fastest performer in the 200 free and would have ranked in the top six on the team for both the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Last season, West Virginia finished in third out of the three schools that sponsor men’s swimming and diving at the 2023 Big-12 Swimming and Diving Conference Championships. The Mountaineers were led in the freestyle events by Roanoke Shirk, who finished as a finalist in the 100, 200, and 500 freestyles.
While the Big-12 Conference only featured a trio of men’s programs last season, it will look much different in the coming years. This season, BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston all joined the conference. While Houston only sponsors women’s swimming and diving, both BYU and Houston have a men’s program as well. The conference will expand even further during Zornan Ferguson’s freshman year, with Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah all receiving approval to join the conference in 2025.
WVU has been led by head coach Vic Riggs since he took the program over in 2007. Riggs is no stranger to leading the Mountaineers through changing conference landscapes as he helped the team transition from the Big East to the Big-12 in 2012.
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Houston does not have a men’s program.