{"id":656720,"date":"2026-11-03T14:54:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T22:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=656720"},"modified":"2026-11-03T14:54:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T22:54:19","slug":"junior-pan-pac-champion-gabi-brito-verbally-commits-to-cal-for-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/junior-pan-pac-champion-gabi-brito-verbally-commits-to-cal-for-2028\/","title":{"rendered":"Junior Pan Pac Champion Gabi Brito Verbally Commits to Cal for 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

Junior Pan Pac Champion Gabi Brito Verbally Commits to Cal for 2028<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEW COMMIT:\u00a0<\/strong>The University of California, Berkeley has picked up a huge verbal commitment for Fall 2028 from in-state standout\u00a0Gabi Brito\u00a0<\/strong>of Santa Monica, Calif. Brito, arguably the top recruit in the class, is a member of the 2026-27 U.S. National Junior Team in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly.<\/p>\n

She will join Katrin Otaegi<\/strong><\/a>, Stella Canoles<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and Noelle Benkler<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in the Bay Area as a member of the Golden Bears\u2019 Class of 2032.<\/p>\n

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

“I am beyond excited and grateful to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of California, Berkeley! A huge thank you to Coach Justin and the entire BCA coaching staff for their constant support and for helping me grow throughout the years. To my teammates, thank you for pushing and motivating me every day at practice. Most importantly, thank you to my family for their endless sacrifices and support throughout this journey. A special thank you to Coach Dave and the entire Cal coaching staff for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity. I can\u2019t wait to be a Golden Bear!”<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Brito owns the fastest times in the Class of 2028 in the 50 free, 50 back, 50 fly, 100 free, 100 fly and 200 IM. She does her club swimming with Beach Cities Alpha.<\/p>\n

At Junior Pan Pacs this past summer, Brito won the 50m free, 50m fly and 100m fly while taking fifth in the 50m back and 13th in the 100m free. She won the 200m IM at Junior Nationals and earned bronze in the 50m fly at Summer Nationals.<\/p>\n

Last winter, Brito won the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, 100 fly and 200 IM — all of her individual events — at Juniors West. She then earned four gold medals at Oceanside Speedo Sectionals.<\/p>\n

Her best time in the 50 free ranks third all-time in the girls’ 15-16 age group while her top 100 fly is fourth and her best 100 free time is seventh.<\/p>\n

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