NEW COMMIT: Freestyler Nikolas Lee-Bishop, a native of Richmond, Va., has given his verbal commitment to the University of Alabama and will join Holden Smith in Tuscaloosa as a member of the class of 2025.
Lee-Bishop, who owns a pair of Summer Juniors cuts, does his club swimming with NOVA of Virginia Aquatics and recently placed 18th in the 50m free at NCSAs this past summer after recording six top-20 finishes at Virginia LCM Seniors. Last winter, the USA Swimming Scholastic All-American earned bronze in the 100 free at Virginia SCY Seniors before going on to take 10th in the 200 free at NCSAs. A current junior at Deep Run High School, he won the 100 free and was the 200 free runner-up as a sophomore while taking ninth in the former event during his freshman year.
Regarding his commitment, he said:
“I am proud to announce my verbal commitment to continue my swimming and academics at the the University of Alabama! Coach Coley and his staff are doing great things and I cannot wait to contribute. Thank you to my family, coaches, and fellow swimmers for all your support and encouragement. #rolltide”
His best times include:
- 50 free – 21.02
- 100 free – 45.33
- 200 free – 1:38.21
- 500 free – 4:31.99
- 1000 free – 9:21.90
When he suits up for the Crimson Tide at the start of the 2021-22 season, he’ll add valuable depth to Alabama’s freestyle training group. It took a 43.82/1:36.25 to score in the 100/200 free at the 2019 SEC Championships, but Smith is sure to continue improving with just under two years of club swimming still to go as he has seen big time drops over the past few years.
If you have a commitment to share, please send a photo and quote via email to hs@swimmingworld.com.