NEW COMMIT: St. John’s, Fla. native David Gapinski has verbally committed to Georgia Tech and will arrive in Atlanta in the fall of 2021.
He will join Josh Hanks, Antonio Romero, Leandro Odorici, Scott Haney, Mert Kilavuz, Berke Saka, Matt Steele, and Sean Simms as a member of the Yellow Jackets’ class of 2025.
He told Swimming World:
“I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to swim and study at the Georgia Institute of Technology! I would like to thank my parents for being my biggest supporters, Andrew and Anna for always inspiring me, all my coaches past and present for believing in me, and my teammates who push me every day to be the best that I can. I can’t wait for this next chapter in my life, Go Jackets!!!”
A talented freestyler and butterflyer, Gapinski does his club swimming with Loggerhead Aquatics. He won the 100/200 free combo at the Gator Invitational in December and finished sixth in the 200 fly at Southern Zones in 2019. Last summer, he notched two best times at Gainesville Sectionals before going on to take 11th in the 200m fly at Greensboro Futures.
Also competing for Creekside High School, Gapinski is a four-time Florida State Championship finalist. He finished 13th in both the 100 fly and 200 free as a junior at the 4A meet while taking 12th in the 50 free and 100 fly at the 3A meet during his sophomore season.
His best times include:
- 50 free – 21.60
- 100 free – 46.93
- 200 free – 1:42.54
- 100 fly – 50.88*
- 200 fly – 1:51.48*
He will add valuable depth to the Yellow Jackets’ roster as they will have graduated their fastest swimmers in the 200 fly and 200 free – Gapinski’s specialty. He will join a training group that will include Daniel Kertesz and Dylan Scott as Georgia Tech seeks to improve upon their ninth-place finish at the 2020 ACC Championships.
Away from training, Gapinski is also active within his community. As a volunteer swim instructor with the Shawn D. Delfius Foundation, he collects caps and goggles while providing free swim lessons to children and adults. He has also served as a Swim America instructor and staffer at the Bartram Trail Performing Arts Camp.
*Gapinski achieved those times in the 100/200 fly at an unofficial and unsanctioned time trial during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020. His time in the 200 fly is a Junior National qualifying standard.
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