#17 Keelan Cotter (2023) to Join Brother Michael Cotter (2022) at NC State

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

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Keelan Cotter from Cary, North Carolina has announced her verbal commitment to North Carolina State University. She will join the Wolfpack in the fall of 2023 when her brother Michael Cotter will be a sophomore.

“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my swimming and academic career at NC State University!!! Thank you to my family, teammates, coaches, & friends for their endless support through this process I can’t wait to be apart of such an amazing family! GO PACK!!”

Cotter is the 17th-ranked recruit on our Way Too Early list of top-20 girls from the high school class of 2023. She is a talented free/IM swimmer who, as a sophomore at Green Hope High School last year, won the 500 free (4:47.87) at the 2021 NCHSAA 4A State Swimming & Diving State Championships. She also placed second in the 200 free (1:48.48) and contributed to the Green Hope 4×50 medley (29.10 breast split) and 4×100 free (50.58 anchor) relays.

Cotter does her year-round swimming with TAC Titans. She was recently invited to USA Swimming’s 2020 National Select Camp, chosen for her overall performance (as measured by IMX score) from the last long course season. She was also named to USA Swimming’s Scholastic All American Teams for 2021 and 2020. She had a strong short course season last spring, improving her lifetime bests by a significant margin. Year-over-year, she dropped 2.7 seconds in the 200 free, 6.8 in the 500 free, 6.8 in the 1650 free, 2.4 in the 200 IM, and 1.5 in the 400 IM. In long course meters, she improved by 1.4 in the 200 free, 4.2 in the 400 free, 6.8 in the 800 free, 6.3 in the 1500 free, 7.9 in the 200 IM, and 6.6 in the 400 IM. She clocked three LCM bests (100 free and 200/400 IM) at the TAC Spring Invitational, where she puncher her ticket to U.S. Olympic Trials with a 2:16.02 in the 200 IM. In Omaha, she made the A final of the 200 IM and finished 8th with 2:19.32. Cotter wrapped up her summer at Huntsville Futures, placing top-8 in all her events: 200 free (2nd), 400 free (8th), 800 free (3rd), 200 IM (2nd), 400 IM (3rd).

Cotter will overlap with such members of the Wolfpack free and IM group as Yara Hierath, Abby Arens, Annabel Crush, Kenna Smallegange, Grace Sheble, and Caroline Sheble.

SCY times:

500 free – 4:47.69
200 free – 1:47.59
1650 free – 16:48.53
1000 free – 10:07.06
100 free – 50.39
400 IM – 4:19.64
200 IM – 2:01.43

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