Bolles’ Michael Fonteno Receives Acceptance; Commits to Air Force Academy

Bolles senior Michael Fonteno has committed to swim for the United States Air Force Academy next year. He follows in the military footsteps of his parents, both of whom are United States Marines.

Fonteno is primarily a sprint freestyler and breaststroker. In yards, his best times are 21.44 in the 50 yard free, 46.36 in the 100 yard free, 1:44.4 in the 200 yard free, and 57.45 in the 100 yard breaststroke.

That versatility is what will make him valuable to what was a very young Air Force team last year. His best time in the 100 free would have ranked him tied for 8th last year, but if he can drop even as little as a second in his first year, he’ll have a chance at swimming on the Falcons’ relays as a freshman. Given that he dropped a full second as a senior alone, and has already been the 6-fastest times of his career this year, it’s not much of a stretch to see him doing that again when training at the collegiate level.

Fonteno is the younger brother of Megan Fonteno, who was a 2012 Olympian representing American Samoa and is a multiple-time All-American.

While it would seem as though his attendance at a United States Military Academy would preclude his chances of following in his sister’s Olympic footsteps, that is not the case. The case of citizenship is a complex one between Americans and their Unincorporated Territories, like American Samoa, but an example is all that is needed: Stewart Glenister, a former swimmer at West Point, represented American Samoa at the 2008 Summer Olympics.