Number one. A goal that is impossible for most is just the beginning for junior Jacob Wimberly, who recently ranked first in the country for men’s swim recruitments. From swimming through beach shores in Florida to Prosper’s swimming pool lanes, Wimberly has advanced his swim career to what it is today, and he serves as Prosper Swim & Dive’s team captain for this season.

Now, as a Texas A&M University commit, Wimberly said his love for swimming began as a child in Florida.

“When I was very young I lived in Florida, and when you live somewhere like Florida, you have to learn how to swim,” Wimberly said. “After learning, I grew a love for swimming and started participating competitively. It started with summer leagues, and then I went to a club, and it really took off from there.”

Wimberly said challenges came, but they did not keep him from pursuing his swimming goals.

“In eighth grade, when I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, I broke my collarbone playing football,” Wimberly said. “I was out of the water for about four months. It was pretty tough rebounding from that injury, but with extensive training, I ended up winning state that next year in the 100-meter competition.”

Once he moved to Texas and joined the Prosper swim team in 2021, Wimberly’s school coaches said they’ve seen tremendous growth through him.

“Jacob joined our program last year and immediately had an impact on it, both as a leader and just during swim practice,” head coach Lena Harrington said. “He went through a bit of a slump at the start, trying to figure out what training worked best for him, but over the summer, he really just had a breakthrough.”

According to Harrington, Wimberly brings leadership to his team-captain responsibilities.

“He is the spirit of the team,” Harrington said. “As a natural leader and voice of the team, he really just fell into the role. He’s really good at lifting the team up, and just a great representation of what Prosper Swim is all about.”

In December 2022, Wimberly took first place in the men’s 100 Butterfly at the 2022 Speedo Winter Junior Championships, crowning him the state champion. Since then, he took the first-place spot in the country for his swim classification and received “boys swimmer of the meet” honors at the District 5-6A Championship meet this past weekend.

“It was pretty surreal to me,” Wimberly said. “It was a goal of mine for a while now to be at the top of my class. I wasn’t even top 10 for a while, but after the winter meet, I jumped to the No. 1 spot. I’m so thankful that I have the opportunity to be in that position.”

Through being a key asset to the team, Wimberly’s teammates said they admire him – and his leadership.

“I really admire Jacob’s leadership abilities,” senior Matthew Davidson said. “Any instance we have, he does a great job at encouraging us and making us feel like we are going to win.”

Back in September 2022, Wimberly officially announced his commitment to the Texas A&M University Swim and Dive Team.

“When I moved to Texas, I met a lot of people who were planning on swimming at A&M,” Wimberly said. “That swayed my decision a lot. I ended up meeting the coaches, and they are just amazing people. I have a lot of trust that they will take me to where I want to go and help me achieve success at a higher level.”

Through all the success, Wimberly continues to stay humble and thankful for his opportunities and achievements.

“I’m so thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had to grow,” Wimberly said. “I can’t wait to see where (A&M) takes me, and I trust that I will have great success through them and others. It’s an honor being the captain this year, and I can’t wait for my future in swim.”