Whitefield Academy's Brooks Merkle Named USA Swimming Scholastic All-American

Whitefield Junior and Vinings resident Brooks Merkle has recently been named as a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American. This distinction is awarded to USA Swimming athletes who excel both in the classroom and in the pool. The Scholastic All-America Team is made up of high school student-athletes who have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and who have achieved the required time standard in a single event. Last year, just 1,172 applicants made the team nationwide.

Brooks’ qualifying times to be considered for this achievement were:

Long course times:

• 1:06.16 for the 100 breast, which is a summer junior national time
• 2:26.68 for the 200 breast, which is a winter junior national time

Short course times:

• 58.09 for the 100 breast

Merkle is a member of the Dynamo Swim Club of Atlanta and he has been part of the WolfPack swim team for the past two years. He won fourth place for Whitefield this year in the Georgia high school state meet in the 100-yard breaststroke, and this past summer, had the privilege of swimming in a national meet with many college swimmers as well as Olympians Nathan Adrian and Katie Ledecky at the Atlanta Classic at Georgia Tech.

Merkle’s long-term goal is to swim at a Division 1 college after he graduates from Whitefield.