2013 U.S. Open qualifier Ryan Gordon of the Albany Starfish and Shenendehowa High School has verbally committed to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Gordon is primarily a backstroker and IM’er. That backstroke, especially, will be big for the Hoosiers going forward: while they’re outstanding in that race right now, James Wells and Eric Ress are both seniors, meaning that Ray Looze’s squad will have to look for new blood in that group in the upcoming few seasons after being so solid and stable there for a long time.
Gordon has yards bests of 49.40 and 1:47.30 in the 100 and 200 yard backstrokes, plus a 1:49.8 in the 200 yard IM.
Those are his best events, though he also brings some potential in the sprint freestyles, with a 20.9 and 46.3 in the 50 and 100 yard freestyles, as well.
He is the defending New York High School State Champion in the 200 IM and the 100 back, and it doesn’t look like there’s much around to push him in either race in the spring of 2014.
As mentioned, Indiana’s backstroke group gets much, much thinner after Ress and Wells graduate, but they’ll start to rebuild around Gordon and current freshman Bob Glover, who came to the Hoosiers with similar 100 yard times to Gordon, though Gordon is much better in the 200.
Note: Indiana has Glover listed as a backstroker; his best race is probably the 100 breast, but the Hoosiers are stacked there.