The Minnesota Golden Gophers have been all over the map in their latest recruiting class, but for their latest verbal commitment they’ve stayed close to home: Ellen Bloom from the Edina Swim Club, a southwestern Minneapolis suburb.
Bloom’s name might not sound recently familiar, but for those who follow Minnesota swimming, it will jump off of the page. Bloom’s best time in the 200 IM of 1:59.63 is very good for a high school senior. It’s even better for a 14-year old high school freshman, which is the age that Bloom was when she swam that time.
How good is that? It’s the third-best time by a 13-14 girl in history, behind fellow class of 2013 recruit Missy Franklin; and Katie Hoff, who that same year would win the 200 IM at the Olympic Trials.
After those two goes Bloom, Liz Pelton, Natalie Coughlin, and Mary Beck. She lives in the history books among swimming royalty.
Her best individual stroke is backstroke, where her 100 yard best of 55.88 is very good, but the IM seems to be where her best future is.
The challenge for Minnesota head coach Kelley Kremer is how can he get Bloom back to that level? Since that year, she hasn’t been better than a 2:03.8 in that race, and was a 2:05.71 at March’s NCSA Junior Nationals. Like any good coach, though, Kremer and his assistants will be licking-their-chops at the opportunity to work with Bloom and see if they can’t get things turned back around in Bloom’s best event.
Bloom’s career hasn’t completely stalled, though. She’s really made huge jumps in her secondary events since her freshman year of high school, including the aforementioned 100 back. She also had a very good year in long course. She dropped 5 seconds off of her best to get to a 2:26.86 in the long course 200 IM.
This will be one of the more interesting recruits to watch develop as this class of 2013 transitions to the class of 2017.