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Winter Juniors finalist Eli Rolfsen has announced his verbal commitment to swim for Miami University in Ohio starting in the fall of 2025.
“I am excited to announce my verbal commitment to Miami University of Ohio to continue my academic and swimming journeys! First of all I want to thank God for getting me to where I am! I would also love to thank my parents, siblings, teammates, and coaches for all their support. GO RED HAWKS!!”
Rolfsen was homeschooled in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he recently finished high school. He currently trains year-round with the Greater Kalamazoo Crocs and primarily specializes in distance freestyle, as well as the longer distances of backstroke and IM. Rolfsen is notably ranked #1 in the state of Michigan’s class of 2025.
At the 2024 Winter Junior Championship East, Rolfsen turned in a series of top performances. He threw down a massive lifetime best performance in the 1650 free, placing 4th in 15:06.87 to knock almost 35 seconds off of his previous time (15:41.76). He dropped almost eight seconds in the 500 free, finishing 18th in 4:23.91. Rolfsen also posted new personal best times in the 1000 free (9:08.87), 200 back (1:50.04) and 400 IM (3:59.35).
Rolfsen showed his versatility at the MI MLA Ultra Championships in March, posting another stream of best times. He placed 17th in the 200 breast in a personal best of 2:12.11, knocking over eight seconds off of his time from February 2024. Rolfsen also logged new lifetime bests as the lead-off leg on multiple relays; he threw down personal best performances in the 100 free (47.68), 200 free (1:41.03) and 100 back (52.45).
More recently, Rolfsen kicked off the LCM season with a strong showing at Speedo Sectionals in Indianapolis. He was the runner-up in both the 800 free (8:20.47) and the 1500 free (15:47.17) and placed 5th in the 400 free (4:00.29) and 400 IM (4:31.64), turning in lifetime best performances in all four events. Rolfsen also set a best time of 2:05.41 in the prelims of the 200 back before finishing 8th overall.
Rolfsen just made it onto our “Best of the Rest” list of distance freestylers with our re-ranking of the boys’ high school class of 2025.
Best Times SCY
- 200 free – 1:41.03
- 500 free – 4:23.91
- 1000 free – 9:08.87
- 1650 free – 15:06.87
- 200 back – 1:50.04
- 400 IM – 3:59.35
A Division I Mid-Major program, Miami University’s men’s team is led by head coach Samantha Pitter and just finished its first season competing in the Missouri Valley Conference. The RedHawks won the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in February; prior to joining the MVC, the Miami-OH men were the four-time defending champions of the Mid-American Conference.
Based on the results from the 2025 championship, Rolfsen would have notably won both the 500 free and the 1650 free. He also would have landed in the ‘B’ final in the 400 IM and would have been right on the cusp of earning a second swim in the 200 free and 200 back, putting him in a position to be a key contributor for the RedHawks.
Rolfsen is poised to be Miami University’s fastest competitor in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free next season, and he already has best times under the RedHawks’ team records in both the 1000 and 1650 free, setting him up to make a name for himself early on. In addition to swimming, Rolfsen has also expressed an interest in pursuing open water.
The full list of commits joining Rolfsen on campus this fall includes Rowen Bishop, Tuck Gregory, Paul Hong, Duncan Salmen, Nathan Lindstrom, Liam Quigley, Jackson DeKuiper, Owen Fowler, Jet Dooley, Luke Pugh and Patrick MacKillop.
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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15:06 in the 1650 and only a 3:59 in the 400 IM? I think Mr. Rolfsen has a big drop ahead of him.
Go Eli!!