SEATTLE, Wash. - Nathan Freeman, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., brought the Seattle University Redhawks some sunny days in the 2006-07 season. At the NCAA Championships, Freeman was part of the 800 freestyle relay team that finished with a time of 6:52.83.
At the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference Championships, Freeman finished 12th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:43.32. Freeman also was part of a third place 800 freestyle relay team at the PCSC championships with a time of 6:50.43, which qualified the relay quartet for the NCAA Championships.
"Nate was a critical part of our National qualifying relay at conference and went on to further support the team earning All-American honors in the event at Nationals." said coach Craig Mallery.
Freeman finished first in the 800 meters freestyle with a time of 8:43.58 at Simon Frasier. He also defeated the Loggers of the University of Puget Sound with a time of 4:15.88 in the 400 freestyle.
"Nate swims the distance events but has proven to possess a wider range of speeds which is always helpful in dual meet settings," said Mallery.
"Nate is a hard worker in the pool and has been challenged to adapt to a new training regimen or more accurately bring together the old and the new," said Mallery on how Nathan improved over his freshman season. "He is extremely bright with great leadership capacities."
Most recently, Freeman earned College Division First Team Academic All-District VIII on the at-large team for his performances not only in the pool, but also in the classroom. He is an arts and sciences pre-major with a 3.84 grade point average.
Freeman made an immediate impact for the Redhawks in his freshman year. He earned an honorable mention All-American award for helping the 800 freestyle relay team to an 11th place finish at the 2006 NCAA Division II Championships. Individually, he finished 21st in the 1650 freestyle (16:47.72) and 22nd in the 500 freestyle (4:23.92). He posted the team's best time of the season of 4:40.46 in the 500 freestyle at the 2006 PCSC Championships.
Freeman came to Seattle University after swimming on the high school national swim team at Brophy Prep in Phoenix. "I watched Nate compete at his high school state swimming championships during a recruiting visit," said Mallery.
Freeman earned All-American honors in the 400 freestyle relay at Brophy Prep, as well as in the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle. He was part of the 400 freestyle relay team that won the Arizona state title while finishing third in the state in both the 200 and 500 freestyle races.
Freeman's goals for the 2007-08 season are "to continue to be the outstanding student leader in the classroom and to further his contributions in the pool on a higher national level," said Mallery.