By Madeline Folsom on SwimSwam
Winter Juniors qualifier Owen Durham has sent his verbal commitment to the University of Cincinnati for the fall of 2026
“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic journey at the University of Cincinnati. I want to thank my parents for all their support and encouragement. I also want to thank Coach Mike for making me into the swimmer I am today. Lastly thank you to Coach Mandy and Scott for giving me this opportunity. Go Bearcats!
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Durham attends Saint Xavier High School, where he will be a senior this swim season. In 2024, he was a member of the Xavier boys 200 medley relay that set the fastest time in the nation that year at 1:27.70. Durham swam the breaststroke leg in 25.93 to help the team finish 1st in the country by six tenths.
At this year’s meet, he swam the 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke events, finishing 6th in the 500 at 4:34.96 and 3rd in the 100 breast in 56.68. He also swam on the prelims version of the 200 medley relay, splitting 25.51 on the breaststroke, and the prelims of the 400 freestyle relay, where he split 48.96.
He swims an interesting mix of distance freestyle and breaststroke, and at the East Winter Junior Championships for his club team, Lakeside Swim Team, he competed in the 500 free (4:33.00), 1650 free (15:53.27), 100 breast (56.17), and 200 breast (2:02.85). His highest finish came in the 1650, where he was 47th overall.
At the Speedo Southern Premier Meet in March, Durham set a new personal best time in the 500 free (4:30.81) and the 200 free (1:41.89).
Durham’s Best SCY Times
- 200 free- 1:41.89
- 500 free- 4:30.81
- 1650 free- 15:53.27
- 100 breast- 56.17
- 200 breast- 2:01.74
Cincinnati competes in the Big 12, finishing 6th out of 7 teams at last year’s Conference Championship meet.
Durham will help add depth in the distance freestyle and breaststroke program, sitting just outside the top four in his events. In the 500 freestyle and the 1650 freestyle events, he would have been 6th on the team last year, and in the 100 breaststroke, he would have been 8th overall. In order to score at Big 12s, he would need to drop to 4:26.95 in the 500, 15:42.97 in the 1650, and 55.68 in the 100 breast.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Winter Juniors Qualifier Owen Durham Will Join Cincinnati In 2026
