Irish swimmer Matthew Walsh-Hussey has committed to the University of Michigan for the upcoming fall, bringing his talents to the Wolverines’ freestyle and backstroke lineup.
Walsh-Hussey recently made waves at the Irish Olympic Trials, placing 3rd in the 50-meter backstroke with a personal best of 26.33 seconds and 4th in the 100 backstroke with a personal best of 56.24 seconds.
He also placed 8th in the 50 free (23.63) and 100 free (52.26). Last December, he won the SCM 100 backstroke at the Irish Winter Championships with a personal best of 54.31 seconds, showing significant improvement from 2022.
He also competed in the European U23 Championships last August, finishing 60th in the 100 free with a time of 52.09 seconds.
Expressing his enthusiasm, Walsh-Hussey said, “I am extremely excited and grateful to announce my commitment to the University of Michigan to continue my academic and swimming career. I cannot thank my family, coaches, friends, teammates, and the NAC Swim Club enough for their unwavering support over the years. Thank you, Coach Matt Bowe and Coach Aaron Bell, for giving me this opportunity. Go Blue!!”
His best long course meter (LCM) times, converted to short course yards (SCY), are:
- 50 free: 23.07 (20.06)
- 100 free: 50.67 (44.20)
- 50 back: 26.33 (23.18)
- 100 back: 56.24 (49.58)
These times would have placed him in the C-finals for the 50 free and 100 free at the Big Ten Championships in February, just missing the cut in the 100 back. Initially specializing in freestyle, Walsh-Hussey has shown rapid improvement in backstroke, shaving almost two seconds off his time in 2023 and more than a second this year.
Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class features international talents like Britain’s Henry Gray, Israel’s Inbar Danziger, and Canada’s Lorne Wigginton, along with domestic recruits Rian Herrmann, William Savarese, Thomas Farney, and Tyler Tannenberger. This will be British head coach Matt Bowe’s second season with the program.
The Wolverines recently placed 3rd at the Big Ten Championships with 1,153.5 points, behind Ohio State and Indiana.