The Tribune

TYLER Russell of Nassau, a senior at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, USA, has announced his commitment to swim at Emory University.

Russell is a member of the Bahamian national team and has represented the Bahamas at the FINA Junior World Championships and CARIFTA Championships.

At Mercersburg (which is near Washington, D.C.), he has been a team captain for two years and has qualified for 10 career finals at the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming & Diving Championships, which are also known as "Easterns" and are considered the top prep-school swimming event in the United States.

Russell has qualified for Easterns finals in six different events - the 100-yard backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 individual medley, 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, and 400 free relay. He won the team's Bruce F Vanderveer Award (for greatest influence on his teammates) as an 11th grader.

Russell has also earned Academic-All-Conference honours in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League and served as a dormitory prefect at Mercersburg, where he was coached by Glenn Neufeld.

Emory University is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)'s Division III.

Mercersburg Academy is an independent, coed college-preparatory school offering a rigorous academic programme to 435 boarding and day students who represent 29 American states and 44 nations of the world.

The school prepares young men and women in grades 9-12 and postgraduate from diverse backgrounds for college and life in a global community.

Mercersburg alumni include Rhodes scholars, Olympians, Oscar-winners, and a Nobel laureate. For more information, visit www.mercersburg.edu