Abrahm David DeVine (born September 3, 1996)[1] is an American swimmer from Seattle. He currently represents the LA Current which is part of the International Swimming League.[7] His first international competition was in the men's 200 metre Individual Medley (IM) event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.[9][10] In 2017, as a member of the U.S. FINA World Championships team he finished tenth in the 200 IM.[7] In his junior season at Stanford he became a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in the 400 IM, he was named the Pac-12 Conference Swimmer of the Year.[7][3] In 2018, DeVine placed second in the 200 IM at U.S. Summer Nationals, which qualified him for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships In Tokyo, Japan, where he finished fifth.[7]
Quick Facts Personal information, Nationality ...
Close
In 2018, he came out as gay, one of "very few openly gay swimmers competing on the elite level."[11][2][12] In his senior year at Stanford he again was NCAA champion in the 400 IM, he was also named a member of Team USA for the 2018-19 season.[7][3] In 2019, he placed eighth in the IM at the FINA World Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea.[7] As of April 2019, he is a fifteen-time All-American.[3] In May 2019 Swimming World listed him as twelfth in its ranking of NCAA men's swimmers in Division I.[13] In September 2019, DeVine said he was dropped from the Stanford team due to homophobia which team coaches denied in a statement which did not include why they took the action.[8][14][15] As of June 2019, DeVine has been with International Swimming League's DC Trident.[7][16]
Abrahm DeVine was born in Seattle to Rene Folk and Jim DeVine.[4] He grew up in Seattle and was introduced to swimming by his mother when he was an infant.[3][17] Folk, in the 1970s, while still living in Anamosa, Iowa, worked at the Anamosa swimming pool teaching kids to swim, and coaching the swim team.[17] Abrahm joined a summer league when he was five, and a year-round team, Cascade Swim Club, when he was six years old.[3][5] There he met his “core group” which he had through Lakeside High School, he remained on the team for twelve years.[3]
In high school, by his sophomore and junior years, he made junior nationals and nationals.[3] He was an All-American in 2013, 2014, and 2015.[4] In 2014 he made the Junior National Team.[5] His main event was the 400 Individual Medley (IM), “it’s all strokes and it incorporates speed and endurance.”[3] He was a state champion in 2013, and a double state champion in 2014 and 2015.[4]
At Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where he had earned a scholarship, he was earning a Computer science degree, while swimming on the Stanford Cardinal team.[3][17][5] In June 2016 he was in the U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming in Omaha, Nebraska, he placed fifth in the 200 IM.[17] He was a finalist in the 400 IM at the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.[5]
DeVine's first international competition was in the men's 200 metre Individual Medley (IM) event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.[18][19] In 2017, as a member of the U.S. FINA World Championships team he finished tenth in the 200 IM.[7] In his junior season at Stanford he became a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in the 400 IM, he was named the Pac-12 Conference Swimmer of the Year.[7][3] In 2018, DeVine placed second in the 200 IM at U.S. Summer Nationals, which qualified him for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where he finished fifth.[7] In 2018, he came out as gay, with “very few openly gay swimmers competing on the elite level.”[8][2] In his senior year at Stanford he again was NCAA champion in the 400 IM, he was also named a member of Team USA for the 2018-19 season.[7][3] In 2019, he placed eighth in the IM at the FINA World Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea.[7] As of April 2019, he is a fifteen-time All-American.[3] He holds several Stanford swimming records: the 400 IM (3:35.29) by four seconds; top three times in the 200 freestyle (1:32.77); top three times in 200 backstroke (1:39.22); and top three times in 200 IM (1:40.35).[3] In May 2019 Swimming World listed him as twelfth in its ranking of NCAA Division I men's swimmers.[20]
In June 2019, DeVine was added as a member to the International Swimming League's DC Trident.[7][21] In July 2019, DeVine signed with Arena, a sportswear company specializing in swimwear.[7][22] As of August 2019 he swims with Team Elite in San Diego.[7] In September 2019, DeVine says he was dropped from the Stanford team due to homophobia which team coaches denied in a statement which did not include why they took the action.[8]
In 2018 when asked about his post-swimming career interests, DeVine cited being intrigued by startup culture, and the environmental movement.[2]
In 2016 or 2017, DeVine's parents started collecting ukuleles. Abrahm has since been practicing and learning music.[2]
In 2018, he came out as gay, making him one of "very few openly gay swimmers competing on the elite level."[11][2][12]