Kelsey Vetalice from The Woodlands Swim Team in north Houston has verbally committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
In yards, her best times are:
- 50 free – 23.96
- 100 free – 51.10
- 200 free – 1:47.85
- 500 free – 4:48.30
- 1000 free – 9:56.12
- 1650 free – 16:57.51
Vetalice should slide into the role that will be vacated after this season by the graduation of current UNC senior captain Danielle Siverling. Specifically, that’s the role of a true middle-distance, 200/500 freestyler who leans more toward the speed side (the 100) as a third event than the distance side (the 1650).
Vetalice, however, is already more rounded than Siverling was coming out of high school. Siverling was a better 200 freestyler (she was 1:46.6 as a senior), but wasn’t nearly as good of a 500 freestyler (4:56) when she joined the Tar Heels.
If that’s any indication for Vetalice’s future, it’s a good one, given that Siverling placed 7th at the 2013 NCAA Championships in the 500 free.
After a big sophomore high school season, Vetalice’s yards improvements slowed a little as a junior, though she still dropped time in most of her primary events in short course.
Vetalice is a Summer Nationals qualifier in long course in the 200 free (2:02.41), 400 free (4:16.22), and 800 free (8:48.92). She attends the John Cooper school, one of the top girls’ private school teams in the state, and was the 2014 SPC Champion and record-breaker in both the 200 and 500 yard freestyles.