REDMOND, Wash. --- Biola's men's team is heavily laden with sprint freestyle swimmers, with a few distance swimmers mixed in, but Ryan Harper is coming and he can swim all the strokes and compete in distance events.
 
That will be a nice tool for Head Coach Eddie Shepard to score some more points on the men's side of the competition.
 
Harper comes to the Eagles after a homeschooled high school education and competing for Redmond High School. He graduates this spring and will begin at Biola in fall 2015.
 
He spent four years swimming varsity and is the team captain this year. He's qualified for the Washington State meet in each of the previous two seasons and specialized in the 100- and 200-breaststroke, 400-IM and 500- and 1,650-freestyle.
 
"Ryan's positive attitude, work ethic and talents as a swimmer make him a great fit for our program," said Shepard. "I am excited to be able to coach Ryan and see the contributions he will make to our team."
 
Harper comes in with a bunch of academic awards in tow, earning Washington Interscholastic Association/Kingco Conference Scholar-Athlete honors and leading his team to the 2015 Kinco Conference Sportsmanship Award.
 
He earned Cum Laude recognition on the National Latin Exam in 2013 and 2014 and comes into his time at Biola looking to major in kinesiology with hopes of becoming a physical therapist.
 
On top of all of that, Harper is also an Eagle Scout. Sounds like a perfect fit for a Biola Swim & Dive program that's earned NAIA Scholar Team recognition every year under Shepard since 2006-07.
 
"I feel that God has called me to Biola and it is a place where I can thrive as a student-athlete. I am looking forward to a Christ-centered education with competitive athletics," said Harper.
 
Harper's family has a history in college athletics, as his father played golf at USC, and his sister, Heather, was on the swim and dive team at Boise State.
 
Harper will jump in the pool with the rest of his teammates in mid-fall 2015.