Matthew Duke '15 Recruiting Profile

I hope to obtain a degree in the area of biology. I plan to attend graduate school and to study genetics. My goal is to swim at the collegiate level. I am only a junior in high school, but I realize the importance of beginning the application process early. I have been swimming for my school since 8th grade.  Although I got a late start in the sport of swimming, I have proven to be an asset to my team. In the past two years, I have become a leader within my squad. Recently, my 200 freestyle relay team set the school record with a time of 1:30.34. This long standing 13 year old record included a former Notre Dame swimmer. My individual split, which helped attribute to this accomplishment, was 22:86. We also set the MIC record in this event.  In the past year, I have improved my time by three seconds. In addition, I am strong at the butterfly in the 200 medley relay. My split for the 50 butterfly for this relay is a 24:80. Other strengths that I have include the 200 IM. My best time is 2:12.11. I am dropping time in this event in every meet. I have dropped eight seconds in this event since the beginning of the year. Another event that I swim in is the 100 butterfly. This year, my best split so far is a 56.74. Once again, I decreased my time by four seconds. In the 400 freestyle relay this year, I swam a 50.92 second split. This relay also broke a 29 year old school record and MIC record.  As I continue to grow as a swimmer, I realize that I have so much more to accomplish and achieve. I still have my senior year to complete my goals. Academically, I am a strong student. I am in the top 25% of my class with a GPA of 3.88. I am in mostly advanced classes, and was nominated by my teachers to go to the Student Leadership Summit in Howard County. I am a member of National Honor Society as well as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In addition to swimming, I play football in high school. This year, I received the Mental Attitude Award from my coaches and fellow teammates.