{"id":656374,"date":"2026-10-30T08:46:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T15:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=656374"},"modified":"2026-10-30T08:46:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T15:46:57","slug":"junior-pan-pacs-bronze-medalist-ellie-clarke-verbals-to-tennessee-for-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/junior-pan-pacs-bronze-medalist-ellie-clarke-verbals-to-tennessee-for-2028\/","title":{"rendered":"Junior Pan Pacs Bronze Medalist Ellie Clarke Verbals to Tennessee for 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

Junior Pan Pacs Bronze Medalist Ellie Clarke Verbals to Tennessee for 2028<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW COMMIT:\u00a0<\/strong>The University of Tennessee has landed a huge verbal commitment for Fall 2028 from Cicero, Ind. native Ellie Clarke<\/strong>, arguably the top recruit in the class. Clarke is a member of the 2026-27 U.S. National Junior Team in the 200 back and 200 fly.<\/p>\n

She will join\u00a0Kate McKinnon<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and Jianna Amores<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in Knoxville as a member of the Vols\u2019 Class of 2032.<\/p>\n

Regarding her commitment, she said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI am incredibly honored and excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Tennessee! I would like to thank my parents and my brother for their endless love and support throughout my journey, as well as all of my family, friends, and teammates who have supported me every step of the way! A special thank you to Coach Pfaff and Coach Plumb for always challenging me and helping me grow into the swimmer and person I am today. Another thank you to all of the coaches at Carmel for being such a special part of my journey. Lastly, a huge thank you to Coach Matt and all of the coaches at Tennessee for believing in me and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime! GO VOLS!!\"\ud83c\udf4a\"\"\ud83c\udf4a\"\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clarke, who trains year-round with Carmel Swim Club, earned bronze in the 200m fly at Junior Pan Pacs this past summer where she also took fifth in the 800m free and 11th in the 200m back. She took 16th in the 200m IM, 17th in the 200m back, and 19th in the 200m fly and 400m IM at Summer Nationals.<\/p>\n

Last winter, Clarke recorded six top-10 finishes at Juniors East, highlighted fourth place in the 400 IM and fifth in the 200 back and 500 free. She won all six of her individual races at Four Corner Speedo Sectionals in March.<\/p>\n

She owns the fastest time in the Class of 2028 in the 200 fly (1:53.62).<\/p>\n

Her best times include:<\/p>\n