Cooper Pitts, a 5-time South Carolina AAA High School State Champion (small schools) individually has verbally committed to the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Pitts swims for Live to Play Racing Club and the Academic Magnet in Charleston – ranked by the U.S. News as the 7th-best high school academically in the country and the best in the state of South Carolina.
His best events are the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke, but Pitts has shown enough versatility to have some promise as an IM’er.
Best times in yards:
- 100 free – 50.29 (as a freshman)
- 200 free – 1:45.47 (as a freshman)
- 100 back – 52.50
- 200 back – 1:50.96
- 100 breast – 57.58
- 200 breast – 2:03.44
- 100 fly – 55.17
- 200 IM – 1:54.26
Pitts has won the last three South Carolina AAA titles in the 100 breaststroke and the last two 200 IM titles, and last week led his team to a 2nd-place finish overall at the meet.
The IM’s and breaststrokes are two areas where the Hokies are already very good, and have added more depth already this fall. Their depth is especially evident in the 200 IM, where Brandon Fiala was the ACC Champion last year as a sophomore and the Hokies put two in the conference’s top six. Fiala, like Pitts, is a breaststroke-based IM’er.
“I chose Virginia Tech because of the unmatched combination of academics and athletics,” Pitts sayd. “I felt a part of the Hokie family immediately, and the coaches and team create an amazing environment to train in. I can’t wait to spend the next four years as a Hokie!”
Pitts plans to study chemical engineering at Virginia Tech.