THE FLATS – Christian Ferraro, Camryn Hidalgo, Caio Pumputis and Austin Daniel have all elected to use their extra year of eligibility awarded by the NCAA and will return for the 2021-22 season, Georgia Tech swimming and diving announced on Friday.
With all four returning, the Yellow Jackets will retain the experience of 11 NCAA All-America honors, 10 CSCAA All-America honors, four individual ACC Championships and 10 All-ACC awards. Ferraro, Hidalgo and Pumputis were all NCAA qualifiers last year.
“I’m really excited that our seniors have chosen to spend another year with us at Georgia Tech,” Toni M. and Richard L. Bergmark swimming and diving head coach Courtney Shealy Hart said. “Christian, Cami, Caio and Austin have brought so much experience and leadership to our team and I can’t wait to see what we can do next season.”
One of Georgia Tech’s most decorated swimmers in program history, Pumputis capped a year in which he was an NCAA All-American in the 200 IM and 200 breast events by representing his country of Brazil in Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics – He competed in the 100 breast and 200 IM events. The Brazilian native regained his 200 IM ACC crown after silvering in the event in 2020, capturing his third-career ACC Championship. He then went on to capture silvers in the 200 breast, as well as with the 200 medley and 400 medley relay squads.
A veteran on The Flats, four-time All-American Ferraro returns this season after another strong year in which he qualified for the 100 and 200 fly at NCAA’s, ranking 21st and sixth, respectively, during the regular season. He earned his fourth All-American honor when he finished 11th in the 100 fly at Nationals, while also earning All-ACC honors for joining Kyle Barone, Pumputis and Corben Miles in medaling in the 200 medley relay at ACC’s. Ferraro also excelled in the classroom last year, being named to the Academic All-ACC team.
Despite adversity from a 2018 injury – to which she was named a finalist for the Honda Inspiration Award – Hidalgo returns as one of Georgia Tech’s most prolific divers in program history. Since her injury, Hidalgo has captured four ACC Championship medals (one gold, one silver and two bronze) and been named All-American twice. In 2020, she became the first female Yellow Jacket to qualify for NCAAs on all three boards – 1-meter, 3-meter and platform – since 2008. This past season, Hidalgo placed third in the 3m event at the 2021 NCAA Championships, marking the top finish in program history.
Daniel returns as a veteran Yellow Jacket after capturing his second CSCAA Scholar All-American honor, while also cracking the top 10 in the program’s all-time 100 free. The Milton, Ga. native also helped the 200 free relay team (1:17.70) and 200 medley relay team (1:23.89) teams to top 10 times in program history. He recorded personal bests in the 50 fly and 100 fly at the ACC Championships, while also turning in a career-best 100 free time at the Georgia Tech Invitational.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
-#TogetherWeSwarm-
