West Virginia Swimming Royalty Caroline Riggs Makes Verbal Commitment to Yale

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Caroline Riggs from Morgantown, West Virginia, has made a verbal commitment to the application process* at Yale University for the 2023-24 school year.

“I chose Yale due to the incredible opportunities offered in and out of the pool. The coaching staff and team are extraordinarily welcoming and enthusiastic. I can’t wait to be a bulldog!”

A rising senior at Morgantown High School, Riggs is the product of veteran coaches Victor and Renee Riggs. Renee swam at the University of Nebraska and specialized in breaststroke and IM, while Vic swam distance free at Cal. The pair have coached swimming for over 20 years. Renee is the head coach at Club Mountaineer Aquatics, where she coaches Caroline, and Vic is head coach of the WVU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. Caroline has a twin sister, Irene Riggs, who runs cross-country and track. Their older sister Abigail Riggs swam at WVU for their father Vic, who is the head coach there.

Given her pedigree, it’s no wonder Caroline Riggs excels at a broad range of events. She is a Winter U.S. Open qualifier in the 400 IM, a Winter Juniors qualifier in the 500 free, 1650 free, and 200 breast, and a Futures qualifier in the 100 breast, 100/200 fly, and 200 IM.

A USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and NISCA All-American, she is a 7-time West Virginia High School state champion. She won the 200 free (1:51.21) and 100 breast (1:04.98) at the 2022 WVSSAC State Championships. As a sophomore, she won the 100 fly (56.08) and was runner-up in the 200 free (1:49.51). In 2020, the freshman won the 200 free (1:53.89) and was runner-up in the 500 free (5:06.15).

Riggs clocked a trio of personal bests at Cary Sectionals and the Club Mountaineer Aquatics Time Trials meet in March. In Cary, she was runner-up in the 1650 free (16:36.42) and placed 9th in the 200 breast (2:17.84) and 11th in the 400 IM (4:23.29). The following week, she won the 500 free (4:52.86), 200 breast (2:15.51), 200 fly (2:06.77) and 400 IM (4:21.29) at the CM meet. So far, she has kicked off the 2022 long course season with new PBs in the 50/400/800/1500 free and 100 fly.

Top SCY times:

  • 1650 free – 16:36.42
  • 500 free – 4:52.86
  • 200 free – 1:49.51
  • 400 IM – 4:19.70
  • 200 IM – 2:04.86
  • 200 breast – 2:15.51
  • 100 breast – 1:04.57
  • 100 fly – 56.08
  • 200 fly – 2:03.90

Riggs’ best times would have made top-8 in the 1650 free and 200 breast at the 2022 Ivy League Women’s Championships. She would have been a B-finalist in the 200/500 free, 100 breast, and 400 IM.

*Note: A verbal commitment between an Ivy League coach and a prospective student-athlete is not an offer of admission, as only the Admission Office has that authority. The coach can only commit his or her support in the admission process. Ivy League Admission Offices do not issue “Likely Letters” before October 1 of the prospective student-athlete’s senior year of high school. The Likely Letter, while issued after an initial read of the student’s application, is not an offer of admission to the university.

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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Ugly IS my alibi
2 years ago

Congratulations!

Thirteenthwind
2 years ago

_-time champion

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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