New Zealand National Junior Teamer Luan Grobbelaar Sends 2021 Verbal to Virginia Tech

Photo Courtesy: Riaan Grobbelaar

NEW COMMIT: Tokomaru, New Zealand native Luan Grobbelaar has announced his verbal commitment to Virginia Tech and will suit up for the Hokies in the fall of 2021.

He will join Ben Eckerson in Blacksburg as a member of Tech’s class of 2025.

He told Swimming World:

“I am super excited to announce my verbal commitment to Virginia Tech University. I want to thank Coach Sergio for giving me this amazing opportunity to join his team and to coach Andrew for helping and guiding me through this process. Massive thanks to mom and dad who has always supported and believed in me. I am super proud to become part of the Hokie Family. 2021 has big things planned.”

An extremely versatile swimmer, Grobbelaar does his club swimming with Kiwi West Aquatics and most recently finished eighth in the 200m fly at the NSW State Open. He earned three golds, one silver, and two bronze medals at the New Zealand Age Group Championships last spring and won five events at South African Junior Nationals in 2019.

Photo Courtesy: Riaan Grobbelaar

In LCM, his best times include:

400m IM – 4:21.81
200m IM – 2:02.69
200m breast – 2:15.72
200m back – 1:58.38 (SCM)
200m free – 1:51.11 (SCM)
200m fly – 2:03.20

In SCY, those times convert to:

400 IM – 3:46.46
200 IM – 1:46.37
200 breast – 1:57.80
200 back – 1:46.64
200 free – 1:40.27
200 fly – 1:47.92

While representing New Zealand internationally, Grobbelaar raced four individual events at the 7th FINA World Junior Championships last summer and competed at the 6th FINA World Junior Championships in 2017.

Grobbelaar will add serious depth to the Hokies’ lineup and he could find himself in a number of different events throughout his college career. Under head coach Sergio Lopez, Virginia Tech finished fourth in the team standings at the 2020 ACC Championships.

If you have a commitment to share, please send a photo and quote via email to hs@swimmingworld.com.

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