Big Ten Champion Charlie Clark Returning to Ohio State For COVID-19 Fifth Year

Charlie Clark has announced he will return to Ohio State to use his COVID-19 fifth year of eligibility. Clark spent the last four years with the Buckeyes as well.

Clark has been at the core of the Ohio State men’s distance group for the last four years, scoring at the NCAA Championships in all four years as well.

As a freshman, Clark scored 53 individual points at the 2021 Big Ten Championships. There he was highlighted by a 3rd place finish in the 1650 freestyle. He qualified for NCAAs where he finished 8th in the 1650 freestyle as well as 36th in the 500 freestyle. In Summer 2021, Clark finished 5th in the 1500 freestyle at Wave II Olympic Trials and was less than 14 seconds off of making the US Olympic team.

Clark captured his first Big Ten title as a sophomore as he won the 1650 freestyle. He also finished 3rd in the 500 free and 19th in the 200 free to score a total of 65 individual points. At NCAAs, he finished 8th in the 1650 free once again and also was 20th in the 500 free.

Just a month after 2022 NCAAs, he earned a spot on the 2022 US World Championship roster after finishing 2nd in both the 800 and 1500 freestyles at International Team Trials. He finished 10th in the 1500 and 12th in the 800 at 2022 Worlds.

He defended his Big Ten title in the 1650 freestyle as a junior and was 3rd in the 500 free. He scored 59 individual points. At NCAAs, he finished 7th in the 1650 freestyle to score points once again.

Last summer, he earned another spot at a major international meet for the US as he was 2nd in the 1500 free at 2023 US Summer Nationals. He finished 11th in the event at 2023 Worlds.

This past season, Clark redshirted the first semester but returned to the Buckeyes in January. In February, just weeks before Big Tens, he swam at 2024 Worlds for the US. He returned for Big Tens where his highest finish was 3rd in the 1650 free. He swam at NCAAs again finishing 9th in the 1650 free.

The return of Clark is key for the Buckeyes as they finished 2nd at Big Tens and 13th at NCAAs this past season. Clark was one of only four individual swimmers to score for the team at NCAAs. At the Big Ten level, Clark has scored at least 50+ points in all four seasons, making him one of the top 10 swimmers each year as well.