This past fall the Gainesville High boys swim team only had seven swimmers on the roster.

One of those athletes, Jasper Anderson, will swim at the next level.

On Wednesday, Anderson had a celebratory signing at Ballatore Strength Gym where he announced he would be attending Division-III Eastern Connecticut State University, a small school of 4,000 students in Willimantic, Connecticut.

“I decided to sign with Eastern Connecticut State University because I respected and connected with head coach Sarit Gluz,” Anderson said. “In January 2024, I began a correspondence with Coach Sarit by email and by phone. Her letters were well-written and positive. She emphasized the team, not the top swimmers.”

He also chose ECSU because he has family and friends in Connecticut.

“My dorm will be near the pool and the dining hall,” Anderson said. “The entire campus is very walkable. Because ECSU is only 15 minutes from the University of Connecticut, I will be able to access some amenities of a large university.”

Anderson, who is dual-enrolled at GHS and Santa Fe College, will earn his Associate of Arts (AA) degree this spring. He will likely complete his bachelor’s degree in accounting in just three years.

When Sarit became the head coach in 2018, the men’s team had just five swimmers. Some of the men had never been swimmers.

This February, the men’s team won the conference championship for the first time in ECSU history with a total of 21 swimmers.

Anderson was a four-year member of the Hurricanes boys swim team.

“Jasper has always worked hard, swam the events that the team needed and made practices interesting,” said GHS swimming coach Leonard Kraus II. “He improved every year, and I am excited for his future collegiate career.”

He was only 5 feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds as a freshman. However, by his senior year, he had grown seven inches and put on about 30 pounds of muscle.

“Having Jasper train with us over the past year and a half has been an absolute pleasure,” said Anderson’s strength coach, Ron Ballatore, a former UF swimmer. “From day one, his energy has been contagious. He pushes himself in every session, but what stands out the most is how he encourages others. Whether it’s a first-time lifter or a seasoned athlete, Jasper always finds a way to uplift those around him.”

Anderson said he enjoys swimming sprints. He competed in the 100-butterfly at districts every year and as a junior and a senior, he swam the 100-backstroke at districts. 

“My 100-butterfly time improved by 14 seconds from freshman year to senior year,” he said. “Also, I discovered that I enjoy swimming backstroke.”

At the FHSAA Class 3A-District 2 meet this past fall, he had personal best times of 1 minute, 5 seconds in the 100 fly and 1:06.50 in the 100 back. 

“From a development standpoint, his progress has been remarkable,” Ballatore said. “Strength training has helped him build not only physical power but also confidence and resilience. His dedication in the gym has translated directly into his performance as a swimmer—he’s moving better, he’s stronger in the water, and his endurance has improved significantly.”

Ballatore said that beyond the numbers on the barbell, Jasper’s consistency and mindset set him apart.

“He approaches every workout with discipline and a willingness to learn, which will serve him well as he moves on to the next chapter of his athletic career,” he said.

Anderson overcame a tendon injury to both of his feet in the spring of his freshman year and could not swim at all the summer before his 10th-grade season.

“Instead, I was visiting a physical therapist at UF and doing foot exercises,” Anderson said.

That’s probably why he described himself on a recruiting website as “the scrappy guy who continually pushes himself to do better.”

Although he never qualified for an FHSAA regional or state meet, not making it to those competitions never diminished his love of swimming.

“I would like to be an inspiration to other athletes who want to compete in college but are not the tallest or fastest,” he said. “Athletes like me can compete in Division III or II NCAA sports if they persist. In the summer before my junior year, I knew that I wanted to swim in college. That August, I began lifting weights at Ballatore Strength Gym, where I still work out.”

One of his great memories was competing in Tallahassee at districts in 2022 and having the boys team win second place.

“I have also enjoyed competing at the Rob Ramirez City Championships,” he said. “This meet is a chance to swim with all the high school swimmers in Gainesville. During high school practices, I had fun racing off the blocks with my GHS teammates.”

The hard work has paid off and now he’ll be competing collegiately.

“We’re incredibly proud of Jasper and excited to see what’s next for him,” Ballatore said. “He’s the kind of athlete who not only achieves great things but also makes those around him better.”