Luke Sloan (St. Louis, Mo.) and Ben Ussery (Austin, Texas) have both made verbal commitments to join the University of Denver swimming and diving team for the 2014-15 season, head coach Brian Schrader announced on Monday, June 30.
"These two men are outstanding students and really support and define the type of student-athlete we have great success with here at Denver,” Schrader said. “I’m really looking forward to coaching both of them and watching where they take their swimming here at Denver."
A graduate of Westlake High School and member of the Lost Creek Aquatics club team in Austin, Ussery will compete in the butterfly, a specialty in which he swam to great success at the high-school level.
“Ben is coming with some outstanding results from the Texas state high school championships in his career and will be helping us immediately in the butterfly events,” Schrader said. “It’s always fun to have an All-American and National Qualifier join our recruiting class from the fall.”
In all four years of his career with the Chaps, Ussery earned All District 15-5A recognition (2011-14) and earned All State Class 5A distinction in his sophomore, junior and senior years (2012-14).
The 5-foot-11 Ussery won the District 15-5A title for the 100-yard fly in his last three seasons at Westlake and was also the Region 4-5A champion in his junior and senior years (2013-14). In addition, he finished fourth at the 2013 Texas 5A State Meet in that event and was a 2013 Scholastic All-American.
Prior to those feats, Ussery was the TAGS champion in the 100-meter fly in 2010.
Ussery has a personal-best time of 49.66 in the 100-yard fly.
Sloan comes to the Pioneers from Saint Louis University High School, where he competed in multiple swimming events.
“Luke is a great versatile athlete that will be a contributor in freestyle, backstroke, and fly,” Schrader said. “We enjoy having versatile athletes come in and that versatility can be motivating as they find places to contribute and improve.”
Some of Sloan’s best performances include a runner-up result in the 100 fly at the 2013-14 Missouri State Championships, where he clocked in at 51.00.
The 6-foot-0 Sloan also had a second-place showing with a time of 54.92 in the 100 free at the 2013 NCSA Junior National Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.
Outside of high school, Sloan is a member of the St. Louis-based Clayton Shaw Park (CSP) Tideriders club team.
