NEW COMMIT: Tustin, Calif. native and distance freestyler Chris Mykkanen has announced his commitment to the University of Nevada – Las Vegas as a member of the class of 2023.
His older sister, Courtney, is currently a junior backstroker at Cal and his father, John, earned a silver medal in the 400m free at the 1984 Olympics.
Mykkanen swims year-round with Irvine Novaquatics and owns four Junior National standards. He recorded a pair of best times at Juniors this summer after registering five second-swims and a runner-up finish in the 200m free at the Southern California Age Group Invite. He swam 100% lifetime bests at Juniors West last winter and finished second in the mile and fourth in the 1000 free at Carlsbad Speedo Sectionals in March.
Also competing for Foothills High School, Mykkanen is a four-time CIF-Central Section DII Championship finalist. The NISCA All-American won the 500 free and was the 200 free runner-up as a junior after placing third and eighth, respectively, in those events during his sophomore season.
He told Swimming World:
“Looking forward to the next stage of my career. Excited to announce my verbal commitment to UNLV for next year.”
His best times include:
- 200 free – 1:38.68
- 500 free – 4:27.79
- 1000 free – 9:18.07
- 1650 free – 15:25.98
Mykkanen will make an immediate impact when he suits up for the Rebels next fall. His best 1000 free and mile times would currently rank in UNLV’s all-time top ten and he’ll have one year of overlap with two-time conference champion Brad Gonzales. He would’ve scored in the A-final of the 500 free and would’ve been the runner-up in the mile at the 2018 WAC Championships where UNLV finished second overall in the team standings.
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Go Rebels!