Baylor swimmer Trey Freeman
photo by John Shearer
Taller than 6-foot-2, Baylor School 11th-grade swimmer Trey Freeman is easy to spot on a pool deck.
Last weekend in Knoxville, he was even easier to notice because on four different occasions he stood on the tallest awards podium -- that reserved for first-place winners.
At the two-day Tennessee Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s state meet, he started off on Friday by winning the 200-yard freestyle (short course) with a time of 1 minute, 34.92 seconds.
And then on Saturday, he won the 500 free (4:36.68) and swam the first legs of the Red Raiders’ winning 200- (1:23.03) and 400-free (3:01.21) relay teams at the University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
But he did not just win state titles.
He also captured a total of four individual and relay state records. Individually, the feats came in the 200 free and in the first legs of the 200-free relay (20.21) and 400-free relay (44.24). The 400-free relay team as a group also set a record.
He was an elite among the elite, with Nashville Harpeth Hall girl swimmer Alex Walsh – who is only a freshman – the only other swimmer in the meet to set multiple state records.
A few moments after the last race Saturday, he was happy for himself and the Baylor team, who won the combined and boys’ titles.
“It’s exactly what I hoped for,” he said while standing at poolside and wearing a jacket, a Baylor toboggan hat and a great big smile. “I’m really happy how things turned out. We really worked together.”
While the culmination of Mr. Freeman’s career to date took only a few moments in the pool over the weekend, his initial journey to Baylor as a boarding student took several hours. And his maturation into a top-notch swimmer took even longer than that.
He is from Salt Lake City, Utah, although his father, R. Parrish Freeman, lived on Signal Mountain and graduated from Baylor in 1987.
“It’s not that bad being away from home because my dad is from Chattanooga,” he said. “We have tons of friends and family. I love it. It’s everything I could hope for.”
Although the Salt Lake City area in the wintertime is known more for good skiers and snowboarders than indoor swimmers, Mr. Freeman jokingly said he shies away from those sports these days for safety and practical reasons.
“I’m not allowed to snowboard anymore. I broke my arm in an accident a couple of years ago and I’ve decided to stick to the water,” he said with a laugh.
His Baylor coaches and future college coaches are glad he has heeded that advice, as he is no doubt already a college recruit much in demand.
Talking just a few feet from where Tennessee coach Matt Kredich was standing Saturday night, Mr. Freeman said he has already committed to the University of Florida, which is trying to defend its SEC title this week in the same UT pool.
“It’s really a good group of guys,” he said of his potential future Gator teammates. “They are a bunch of guys I’m really looking forward to training with. And their student-athlete resources are second to none. I just feel like it’s the perfect fit for me.”
But until then, he hopes to continue taking advantage of what he sees as great opportunities at Baylor.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without having Baylor in my life,” he said. “The team and all the guys, most of whom I live with, it is something special.”
Jcshearer2@comcast.net.