REPORTS: 2024 “BEST OF THE REST” TOP NOTCH SENSATION IS HEADED TO NC STATE

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Charlie Bufton from Wilmette, Illinois, will swim and study at North Carolina State University starting in the 2024-25 school year. In February, he shared on social media:

“Grateful for all my coaches, teammates, and friends who have supported me. Go Pack!♦️”

Bufton, a graduate of New Trier High School, competed in Illinois high school swimming, placing 3rd in both the 200 IM and 100 back at the 2024 IHSA Boys’ State Championships with personal bests of 1:46.39 and 48.25, respectively. A month later, at the NCSA Spring Championships with NASA Wildcat Aquatics, he improved his 200 IM time to 1:46.32 and achieved personal bests in the SCY 400 IM, 200 back, and 200 breast, as well as the LCM 200/400 IM, 200 back, and 200 breast.

In May, Bufton qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 200 IM by dropping 2.3 seconds, from 2:04.92 at NCSAs to 2:02.65 at the MAC Long Course Midwest Invitational. He finished 72nd in the 200 IM at Trials and also swam the 100 free and 200 breast in time trials, achieving a personal best of 58.19 in the 100 free.

Bufton was recognized in the “Best of the Rest” in SwimSwam’s final re-rank of the top recruits in the high school class of 2024.

Next fall, Bufton will join the Wolfpack along with 2024 German Olympian and #1 recruit Kaii Winkler, #18 Matt Marsteiner, “BOTRs” Hudson Schuricht and Nolan Dunkel, and Arsen Kozhakhmetov, Brasen Walker, Daniel Diehl, and Simon Bermudez.