Have you talked to coaches at any of these schools about your swim times?
“My time for the 1500m freestyle is 14:58”
That’s an insane swim time for a 14 year old! Given that you’re a nationally ranked swimmer, do you want to go to a school that can support you? Are any of these schools able to provide the pre-Olympic-level training that you need?
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I don’t think you meant to reply to me but you’re right, that is a monstrous time. But maybe OP’s 500 yard time is more reasonable, which is why they might “only” be warmly welcomed by coaches rather than hunted down by them since I think high school teams compete in 500 yards at the longest.
For top swimming schools in the northeast, I would also look at Germantown, Peddie, and Mercersburg. But Andover seems like a fantastic fit in terms of academics and athletics.
Note that NEPSAC imposes restrictions on out-of-season institutional practice
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This time is so exceptional that it’s hard to believe that a 500 from the same swimmer wouldn’t attract attention from coaches. The OP should pursue that recruitment angle and also figure out which school can offer adequate year-round training at this level.
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My 500 time is much slower but I am talking to all the coaches!
I agree. I wonder if any boarding school would really be equipped to support an athlete who is performing at that level. If OP wanted to continue to swim competitively, I would assume that they would want to continue their year round program rather than dropping into a single season sport. Does anyone have experience swimming with a club team in addition to the boarding school team that could offer some advice here?
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I don’t, but my understanding is that the top swimming schools’ students tend to also be members of a club (which often practices at the same school’s pool), so they participate in highschool swim meets in the winter season and in club meets the rest of the year while training year round.
E.g. the Peddie swim club and the Peddie school’s swim team operate out of the same pool, have the same coaches, etc.
I’m not sure, but I think Germantown, Baylor, etc operate similarly, but not Andover which has to obey the NEPSAC limitations.
And a side note, IMG academy is opening up their swim division in the fall of 2027, so they would be recruiting around now. It’s obviously a very different environment from the likes of Andover, but maybe OP is from a donut hole family where a full ride would be appealing?
Ultimately it all comes down to what OP wants from their high school experience. Do you want to go all in on swimming to make the Olympics? You could very well do that right where you are - NCAP is a top club in the nation for distance swimming (Katie Ledecky).
That time is SCM right? Even after converting to an LCM time of ~15:22, that’s still inside the 2028 Olympic trials standard.
I would research and maybe reach out to coaches at IMG, Santa maria Catholic high school (day school), Bolles, Baylor, Mercersburg, McDonough (weekday boarding, 1 hour from DC). These all have 50m pools (I think), which is important for distance training.
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I know that swimmers at Peddie and George swim with the club teams that use the school pool, so it cuts down on the commute. But also understand that OP’s time isn’t simply competitive, it is exceptional. So the choice of a club team probably matters as well.