RJ Abbott signed a letter of intent Thursday, Jan. 16, to swim for Shasta College.
Abbott, flanked by his parents, Ronald and Amber Abbott, made his commitment to the Redding, Calif.-based Knights official in front of a crowd of friends and coaches at Sweet Home High School.
“It’s a small school, which I love,” Abbott said.
He said he was introduced to Shasta Coach Mark Wagner by Sweet Home assistant Mark Circkosz at a club swim meet last year.
“We kind of talked about it and I went to the campus and learned a little bit more about the swim team, and then from there, he helped me through the process of filling out all my student applications and stuff, dorm rooms and stuff. He was just super helpful, and
I like him.”
He said he plans to major in business, but doesn’t have any concrete career plans.
Abbott said another attraction was the program itself, which is small but “fast.”
“That was a big thing for me.”
Sweet Home Head Coach AJ Bronson said Abbott has been a leader on the team through his four years with the Huskies.
“RJ has been the glue that has held our team together for the past four years,” Head Coach AJ Bronson told the audience, noting that Abbott has “done every event that we’ve asked him to – from the 200 IM to the 100 Breast, the 500 Free to the 200 Free.”
He said later that he believes Abbott will thrive in the longer distances at the college level, “but that will be up to the coach there.”
Abbott started swimming with the Sweet Home Swim Club when he was 9 and continued with the Huskies as a freshman. In his first three years in high school he has medaled twice in the 200 Freestyle, twice in the 500 Freestyle, twice in the 200 Individual Medley and once in the 100 Breaststroke, and also, last year, led the Huskies to a third-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said of this high school experience.