Notre Dame continues to receive verbal commitments for its Class of 2025. The latest swimmer to pledge his services to the Irish is Bryce Ortanes, a senior at Cherry Creek High School in the Denver area. Ortanes made the following Instagram post in announcing his decision:
Ortanes is at his best when it comes to the backstroke. That’s a relief to an Irish team that just graduated Jack Montesi, its best swimmer in that event last season. However, backstrokers Joe Hunt and Kaden Smesko will join Notre Dame this season.
In 2019, Ortenas was on a Cherry Creek team that won a state championship. He was on the relay teams that won both the 200-meter medley and 400 freestyle. Individually, he was fourth in the 50 freestyle (21.11 seconds) and eighth in the 100 backstroke (51.15).
Ortenas does his club swimming with the Aquawolves Swim Team, which he represented in the 2019 Speedo Winter Junior Championships. There, he set personal bests in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 and 200 backstrokes.
The Irish landed a real winner here, and he should make an impact quickly upon arriving in South Bend.