In the women’s high school class of 2012, which is one of the best in recent memory, the Americans aren’t the only ones dominating the headlines. In fact, much of the attention has been placed on the Canadian imports who, despite so many big-time American names, have been some of the biggest stories in the early recruiting season.
The next Canadian to go is Annie Harrison, who has made her commitment to the University of North Carolina.
“I am so excited about joining the Tar Heel family…we have such an awesome class coming in,” Harrison noted via email.
Harrison is a distance swimmer, with a best of 4:18.00 in the 400 LCM free, a 4:50.49 in the 400 LCM IM, and a beast of 2:14.28 in the 200 LCM backstroke. That 200 meter backstroke time was done in 2009, and is the Canadian 13-14 National Age Group Record holder. It converts to a 1:55.0 in yards, which would have put her on the verge of scoring points at last year’s NCAA’s.
It’s really not a huge surprise that Harrison chose UNC. Afterall, she set that Canadian Record while swimming in Charlotte at the UltraSwim Grand Prix, so she’s got some good memories of her time spent in the Tar Heel State. So good that she was back this spring for the 2011 edition of the same meet.
Harrison hails from the same Oakville Aquatic Club that just sent Marni Oldershaw to Michigan. The pair both represented Canada at the 2011 FINA Junior World Championships.