SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. --- Fresh off a stellar high school and club career in the pool, Mike Maurer of Santa Margarita Catholic High School has chosen to remain an Eagle and committed to swim collegiately at Biola.

"I chose Biola because of the environment and work ethic from people I have met and [the] great community in Christ," Maurer said.

He joins a program on the rise as the Eagles reached unprecedented heights in Head Coach Ryan Kauth's third season at the helm, ending with one of Biola swim's best showings ever at the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships in February.

Maurer will compete in the 200-butterfly as well as the 100-fly and 500-freestyle, bolstering Kauth's roster in those areas. In high school, Maurer PR'd in the 100-fly with a time of 51.93 at the 2019 Trinity League Championships and set his most recent personal best in the 500-free, touching in at 4:41.17 on December 14, 2019 at the Speedo Championship series in East Los Angeles.

At Biola Maurer will be chasing records in the fly that were set by Raymond Kam and Patrick Waggoner just last season. But the 500-free is a different story, as Maurer and several other underclassmen will try to break one of the longest standing marks in the Biola Men's Swimming recordbook. Eric Sirjord still holds the program record in that event after his swim at the 2013 NAIA nationals. 

Outside of the pool, Maurer made dean's list all four years at SMCHS and plans to major in biology, taking advantage of the award-winning facilities in the Alton & Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology & Health.

Maurer continues a long-running pipeline of top Orange County athletes hopping across the county border to join Biola. He says he initially heard about Biola through several friends and acquaintances that are current students or alumni, including one of his middle school teachers, alumnus Kami Green.

He's also one of three Eagles from Santa Margarita Catholic who will come to Biola as student-athletes this fall, the other's being Sophia Morris (track & field) and Amelia Kitts (women's tennis). More information on the incoming 2020-21 class that will join her at Biola can be found on the Committed Athletes page.