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New Jersey Native Grace Lee will bring her talents north as she is set to start her NCAA swimming career at the Division 1 Ivy League institution of Cornell University this upcoming fall (2024).
I’m thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swim career at Cornell University! Thank you Coach Pat and Coach Eileen for giving me this opportunity. I would also like to thank my coaches, teammates, friends, and family for supporting me through this process. GO BIG RED 
A graduate of Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, New Jersey, Lee swam most recently for Scarlet Aquatics. Last summer, Lee was a relay swimmer for the club at Junior Nationals, where she led off the 200 free relay with a PB of 27.41 and took part in the 200 medley, 400 free, and 800 free relays. She also time-trialed the 200 free swimming at 2:05.08, and she recorded a PB in the 800 at 8:54.29.
More recently, this season, Lee placed 19th in the 1650 at the Winter Juniors Championships – East meet. Her time of 16:59.79 represented a new personal best by over 45 seconds. She also added a personal best in the 500 free, where she swam 4:56.20 to place 40th overall.
Lee picked up where she left off last summer’s long course season as she recorded multiple new personal bests. At the Indianapolis Sectionals meet in March, Lee posted a new best of 4:22.86 in the 400 free, and a month later, recorded a new best in the 100 back (1:08.52) and a month after that, she recorded a new best in the 1500 (17:49.13). Lee rounded 0ut her season, with another new PB in the 100 fly at the Trojan LA Invite, in early July, where she posted a time of 1:05.01.
Best Yards Times
- 100 Free – 51.67
- 200 Free – 1:51.14
- 500 Free – 4:56.20
- 1650 Free – 16:59.79
While versatile across several disciplines, Lee likely will primarily focus on the distance freestyle events when the season gets underway.
Cornell, under the leadership of head coach Patrick Gallagher, who has been at the helm of the program since 2015, finished seventh out of eight teams at the 2024 Ivy League Championships, scoring 609 points, just 74 points back of sixth-placed Columbia.
In the distance events, Cornell has just one scorer in the 500 and two in the 1650. Allie Danko, a now senior, finished 24th in the 500 in 5:04.26 after finishing 23rd in prelims (4:55.63). She also scored in the mile, placing 23rd with her time of 17:09.05 behind teammate Erin DeHollander, a now sophomore, who placed 16th in 16:57.34.
Looking at Lee’s best times, she could score in the mile, as her 16:59.79 would clock in as the 19th fastest. Her 500 time of 4:56.20, would just making scoring as 4:55.63 was 23rd and 4:56.52 was 24th. Her 200 time also would make the C-final as her PB of 1:51.14 would have ranked 22nd in prelims and would have been Cornell’s second fastest swimmer behind Jungmin Yoon, a now Junior, who placed 15th in prelims (1:50.22)
All of the scorers in Lee’s likely events return, meaning that the incoming freshman will have a strong training group to help push one another from the C-Final to the B-Final.
Joining Lee in Ithaca, NY, this season are Aria Capelli and Vera Wong. Both hail from Californina with Capelli being a breaststroke/IMer and Wong a diver.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.
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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Winter Juniors Qualifier Grace Lee to bring her Talents to Cornell this Fall (2024)