By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
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Matthew Ritchie will trade Saint Augustine for New York City next fall as he’s announced his commitment to New York University’s class of 2030. In an email to SwimSwam, he wrote:
I’m honored and beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process to continue both my academic and athletic career at New York University! To my parents and siblings, I’m incredibly grateful for your support, the sacrifices you’ve made, and for always standing by me through every step of the journey. Thank you to Coach Alexis, Coach Claire, Coach Bruns, and Coach Bill for their unwavering encouragement and support in helping me grow both in and out of the water. A special thank you to Coach Trevor and Coach Connor for believing in me and offering me this amazing opportunity. I’m incredibly grateful and can’t wait for what’s ahead. Go Violets!
Ritchie attends Tocoi Creek High School and swims year-round with the Bolles School Sharks. He’s primarily a breaststroke specialist, strong in both the 100 and 200, but also has a strong 200 IM.
He has improved throughout each season of his career, most recently dropping from 59.24 to 56.00 in the 100 breast, from 2:08.72 to 2:03.09 in the 200 breast, and from 1:55.10 to 1:50.98 in the 200 IM over the past year and a half.
Ritchie most recently competed at the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 4A State meet last month, where his best times in the 100 breast and 200 IM were recorded. He set both times in prelims before placing sixth in the 100 breast (57.28) final and seventh in the 200 IM (1:51.43) final. It was his best showing at the meet ever.
A year prior, he placed seventh in the 100 breast and ninth in the 200 IM. As a sophomore, when he first qualified for the meet, he finished 21st in the 200 IM and 22nd in the 100 breast.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 Breaststroke: 56.39
- 200 Breaststroke: 2:03.09
- 200 IM: 1:50.98
The NYU men, led by head coach Trevor Miele, are coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2025 NCAA DIII Swimming and Diving Championships. While Denison ran away with the title and Emory was ensconced in second, third through fifth-place were separated by just 22 points. Chicago placed third with 272 points, edging ahead of NYU (267.5) and Kenyon (250).
NYU returns 93.5 individual points, the second-fewest of the top five teams at this year’s championships, so the team will be hoping that returners and newcomers alike can step up to keep the team well-positioned at the top of the division.
Ritchie will need to drop time in all his primary events to be a scoring threat at the DIII NCAA Championships, where it took 54.73 and 2:00.87 to score in the breaststrokes, and 1:48.71 in the 200 IM. However, he would have scored at the 2025 UAA Championships, where the NYU men finished second, sandwiched between Emory and Chicago. His lifetime bests would have placed 13th in the 200 IM and 15th in both the 100 and 200 breast.
Joining Ritchie in the Violets’ class of 2030 are Alex Epifanov, Sam Koenigsberg, Juan Diego Leon, Billy Beck, and Chris Gregg. Leon swims the same three events as Ritchie, owning bests of 54.81 and 1:59.31 in the breaststrokes and 1:51.23 in the 200 IM, which should make for a great training partnership.
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: Breaststroke & IM Specialist Matthew Ritchie Commits To NYU With UAA Scoring Times
