Eastern Illinois Announces Nine Signees

CHARLESTON, Illinois, May 4. EASTERN Illinois men's and women's swimming head coach Matt Bos has announced the signing of nine incoming prep standouts set to join the Panther squads next season.

On the men's side, six prospects will join the squad, all but one hailing from the state of Illinois — Daniel Engel (Edmond, Ok.), Mike Lacine (Champaign, Ill.), Mike Lehman (Naperville, Ill.), Colin McGill (Champaign, Ill.), Ken Tiltges (Saint Charles, Ill.), and John Wilson (Orland Park, Ill.).

"I am very excited about the depth and talent of this year's class," said Bos. "We have so many guys who do so many things well. This is without a doubt one of the best men's classes we've ever had at EIU and I am pumped about what this class can do for the future of Panther swimming. I can't wait to get next season going!"

For the women's squad, Bos has added three new competitors to the program – Kelli Dicanio (Barrington, Ill.), Hailey Foss (Janesville, Wisc.) and Brittany Kent (Indianapolis, Ind.).

"The amount of talent that these three girls possess is just tremendous," Bos said. "Though small in size, this is without a doubt the top female recruiting classes in program history. We only graduated one senior this year so these girls really just make us a much, much better team. I think once we get all three on campus and begin to work with them we are going to see them get even better and that really excites me."

In his first season as skipper of the Panther swimming squads, Bos led the men and women to a third and fifth place finish, respectively, at the end-of-season Summit League Championship.

Below are highlights for each future Panther swimmer, along with personal notes from coach Matt Bos:

DANIEL ENGE (Edmond, Okla./ Edmond Memorial HS) … Chesapeake Swim Club
The 2008-09 Oklahoma state runner-up in the 200 IM and 2007-08 runner-up in the 100 fly, Enge owns top time of 1:57.75 in the medley and 53.60 in the fly. Named All-Oklahoma City four straight years, Enge is also a 2009 Academic All-American. COACH BOS SAYS: "Daniel will definitely help add some depth in the medley events as well as the fly. He had a tremendous senior season and really came out of nowhere to finish second in the 200 IM at the Oklahoma state meet. Daniel's best swimming days are definitely ahead of him and in Daniel we got a great swimmer as well as a great student."

ENGE'S BEST TIMES: 100 Fly … 53.60; 200 Fly … 2:03.40; 200 IM … 1:57.75

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MIKE LACINE (Champaign, Ill./Champaign Central HS) … YMCA Heat
Lacine finished up his high school career as a six-time high school All-American and finished in the top 10 at the IHSA state championships on four different occasions. In 2009 he finished eighth in the 200 IM and tenth in the 100 breast at the state meet. Lacine owns best times of 1:55.19 and 58.44 in the two events. COACH BOS SAYS: "Mike is a ways from reaching his potential and I am excited to see where he can go in our program. Mike really does not have a weak stroke and will swim a lot of different events for us. Mike is going to also get a lot stronger yet and with that will come more speed."

LACINE'S BEST TIMES: 100 Breast … 58.44; 200 Breast … 2:13.33; 100 Fly … 53.30; 200 IM … 1:55.19

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MIKE LEHMAN (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley HS) … Fox Valley Swim Club
Lehman, the younger brother of current EIU swimmer Alyssa Lehman, was a member of the 2008 IHSA state championship team at Neuqua Valley HS. As an All-American, Lehman swam sprint free and fly for Neuqua and typically swam on all three relays. In 2008 he was a member of the State Championship 200 freestyle relay squad. Also a member of the Fox Valley Swim Club, Lehman owns personal best times of 21.40 in the 50 free, 46.63 in the 100 free, and 51.86 in the fly. COACH BOS SAYS: "I am happy we were able to add Mike to what was already and outstanding class. There is a lot of upside to him as he has really good size and solid technique and I think if we can get him to use him size to his advantage he is going to be really tough in the sprint free and butterfly events."

LEHMAN'S BEST TIMES: 50 Free … 21.40; 100 Free … 46.63; 100 Fly … 51.86

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COLIN McGILL (Champaign, Ill./Champaign Central HS) … YMCA Heat
A nine-time IHSA state qualifier and six-time sectional champion, McGill will follow in his older brothers' footsteps into the NCAA Divison I ranks. His brothers, Elliott and Tyler, are members of the EIU Panther and Auburn swimming squads. To go along with his athletic accomplishments McGill was also a four-time scholar athlete at Champaign Central HS and was the recipient of the 2009 Jeff Trigger Leadership Award. COACH BOS SAYS: "Colin is coming off a great senior season and showed signs of speed which were not there before. Colin is just starting to figure out where his potential is and I think we got a real diamond in Colin. He comes from a great swimming family and I am happy to have another McGill in our program."

McGILL'S BEST TIMES: 50 Free … 21.70; 100 Free … 47.07; 200 Free … 1:47.82; 100 Fly … 53.76

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KEN TILTGES (Saint Charles, Ill./Saint Charles East HS) … Saint Charles Swim Team
A High School All-American, All-State performer, and Junior National qualifier, Tiltges was the captain of the St. Charles East HS team and swims for the St. Charles Swim Team. An IHSA state finalist in 2008 and 2009, Tiltges finished in seventh place in both the 50 free (21.08) and 100 breast (57.88) at the 2009 championships. COACH BOS SAYS: "Ken is an exciting pick up for us. He is a great IM and breaststroke swimmer, but can also swim the sprint freestyle events, so he is going to make a huge impact on our program from an individual standpoint and his versatility will be invaluable during dual meets. I can't wait to get Ken on campus and begin working with him."

TILTGES' BEST TIMES: 50 Free … 21.04; 100 Free … 45.89; 200 Free … 1:42.88; 100 Breast … 57.88; 200 IM … 1:54.67

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JOHN WILSON (Orland Park, Ill./ Carl Sandburg HS) … Palos Orland Swim Association
A nine-time high school All-American and ten-time all-state performer, Wilson finished fifth at the IHSA state meet in the 50 free and sixth in the 100 free. A Junior National qualifier in the 50, Wilson has posted top times of 20.68 and 46.15. COACH BOS SAYS: "John is built like a true sprinter and is still going to get stronger and faster. He has a good foundation and I think will transition to the next level smoothly. John is going to be a huge addition to our sprint program and will make an immediate impact on all our relays."

WILSON'S BEST TIMES: 50 Free … 20.68; 100 Free … 46.15

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KELLI DICANIO (Barrington, Ill./Fremd HS) … FSC Aquatics
Dicanio is a two-time IHSA state qualifier in the 100 breaststroke with a career best finish of 13th in 2008. She is also a two-time IHSA sectional champion in the breaststroke and was captain of the Fremd HS girls team her senior year. Dicanio will begin her EIU career with career best swims of 1:06.75 in the 100 and 2:25.89 in the 200 breaststroke. COACH BOS SAYS: "Kelli was a huge addition for our women's team and will come in as our number one breaststroker next year. I really like the way Kelli keeps her breaststroke moving forward with very little amplitude. She is going to be a perfect fit for our program and I think she will have a smooth transition into our breaststroke training."

DICANIO'S BEST TIMES: 100 Breast … 1:06.75; 200 Breast … 2:25.89

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HAILEY FOSS (Janesville, Wisc./ Milton HS) … J-Hawk Aquatic Club
Hailey finished up a great high school career with a fourth place finish at the 2008 Wisconsin high school championships in the 500 freestyle and a sixth in the 200 IM. She was also a member of two relay units that advanced to the state finals. Foss finished sixth in the 1000 freestyle at the 2009 Wisconsin Senior Championships with a time of 10:21.12. COACH BOS SAYS: "Hailey is just coming into her own and is coming off an outstanding senior year. She definitely solidifies our distance program and she should contend for conference titles in the distance free events as a freshman. Hailey has the ability to become a major player in the both the backstroke events as well as the individual medley. Hailey will help set a new standard for future women coming into our program."

FOSS'S BEST TIMES: 100 Free … 54.75; 200 Free … 1:57.14; 500 Free … 5:05.70; 1000 Free … 10:21.12; 100 Back … 59.69; 200 Back … 2:09.02; 200 IM … 2:09.70

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BRITTANY KENT (Indianapolis, Ind./ North Central HS) … Washington Township Swim Club
A former Junior National swimmer and high school All-American, Kent is a sprint freestyle swimmer from Indianapolis, Indiana. A three year letter winner for North Central HS, Kent was on two relays that finished in the top six at the 2009 IHSAA state meet. COACH BOS SAYS: "Brittany is a really exciting swimmer who has a lot of natural speed and very solid technique. She is actually small for a typical sprint freestyle swimmer, but as she gets stronger she will get faster. Brittany may be the missing piece to our sprint relays which I think are going to be very good next year."

KENT'S BEST TIMES: 50 Free … 24.48; 100 Free … 52.92; 200 Free … 1:53.97

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