MINOT, North Dakota, May 10. DAGNY Knutson, of Minot High School, is likely heading to FAST in Fullerton, Calif., after decommiting from Auburn University a source close to the situation has confirmed to Swimming World.
One of the first questions that came up when former Auburn assistant coach Paul Yetter resigned to take over a head coaching position at T2 Aquatics in Florida was the status of super-recruit Knutson. Swimming World's source confirmed that Knutson will not be heading to Auburn now, and will likely be headed to FAST in California next fall. Knutson, however, has not officially committed to FAST, but all signs point in that direction.
Knutson, who announced her commitment to Auburn on Swimming World last September had a change of heart when Yetter left the Plains.
The decision eliminates the crown jewel of what is one of the top recruiting classes in the nation for Class of 2010. Knutson, who earned a coveted six-star ranking in the Swimming World College Recruit Rankings, was just one of a handful of Class of 2010 six stars entering the collegiate scene next year.
Auburn still has five stars Emily Bos, Haley Krakoski, Erin Reisinger and Olivia Scott as well as four star Siena DeVenuto on the way in the next class to help the Tigers return to the top of the NCAA ranks. Losing Knutson, however, definitely has a large negative impact.
Knutson's amateur status is still up in the air. Should she commit to FAST, she does not have to turn professional.
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May 10, 2010 Thats really sad! What she will miss is huge, and there is nothing out there contract wise. So who is advising these people, is it the parents? If it is big mistake college degree can never be taken away from you. Auburn would have taught her alot more then what she'll learn at Fast. Honestly these parents it sickens me! Submitted by: swimfan3
May 10, 2010 We're not privy to the decision making process so let's refrain from being judgmental. Obviously coaching is a very significant factor in choosing a school. Now that Yetter's no longer with the women's program it means the environment will be very different. Sure it's Auburn they can bring in another first class individual to take the reins. However the training, philosophy, and personalities differ from coach to coach.
As far as we know she hasn't yet made a decision on whether or not to turn pro. She may spend a year at FAST and in the meantime court other schools this fall. She can learn plenty at other institutions not named Auburn. Also, even if at some point she decided to turn pro she can still pursue an education.
Submitted by: ShortChange
May 10, 2010 WOW! I knew something like this was to come. After Yetter left, the only thing I thought about was what could be going through Dagny Knutson's mind. I'm sure this was a very tough decision. Will she not go to college? Will she just go to a smaller college like Hoff and Kukors and train with FAST? Miss out on the NCAA experience? Not have a college experience? FAST has a lot different approach to training, more on the lighter/ easier side and Knutson is used to heavy volume. We'll see how this plays out. I say this was a wise move in many ways, but also it puts her future/ education up in the air. Submitted by: ironswim34
May 10, 2010 to swimfan3, check out the story SW recently posted on USA-Swimming expanding their professional swimmer program.
I tend to believe that she's going to swim in college the year after, because why wouldn't she follow Yetter to T2? Submitted by: GigEmAggies
May 10, 2010 ShortChange,
I'm sure they appreciate your comment. Decisions that important and life changing are not made without tremendous thought and deliberation. Every individual and every family's situation are unique. When it's all said and done they only have to answer to themselves when they ask "was it was the best decision?" God bless them for doing their best. Submitted by: Osceola35
May 11, 2010 Dagny is the REAL DEAL! Through all the hard work and dedication (of Dagny AND her coach AND her family)--she has made the tough decisions and lived with whatever comes along. Speculation is just that--and whatever she decides is going to be in her best interests. Some things she cannot control (like a coach leaving), but she can still impact her own life with her own decisions. I wish her all the best--she deserves it more than anyone I know! Submitted by: Noahsark63
May 11, 2010 Thank you Gig Em Aggies, so glad she'll be going to school! Hope the best for all athletes, ask any pro swimmer are they sorry they swam in college? I think the answer will be unanimous. Submitted by: swimfan3
May 11, 2010 I live in Minot, ND and Dagny and her family are very close and I know that they do not make this decision lightly. Dagny is a gracious, poised and humble person not just a great swimmer. She is wonderful example of an athlete to emulate. Her family is supporting her in attaining a reachable goal. 2012 is not far away and she has a real chance to make the Olympic team. Her family values education, she is an excellent student by the way, so I am sure she will get her education some how. Why are people so critical when they don't really know people on a personal level? Go Dagny God Bless you in your endeavors. Submitted by: chick66
May 11, 2010 Let's not overreact to here. I don't think anybody was attacking her. There are two different sides on whether it's best for their training to swim in college or just go pro. It's not a personal attack on Dagny, it's just a philosophical difference. Submitted by: GigEmAggies
May 11, 2010
Auburn can teach her more than FAST and Coach Hutchinson?? Let's see here. Dagny has been training, pretty much alone in ND. No real competition on the level that she in on or has been on for a very long time. Now she is going to be with and train with some of the best swimmers in the country and (no disrespect to Kathy Aspaas who has done a REMARKABLE JOB) be trained by a coach that is as well respected and has had much success in his young career as any I can think of----but your sure Auburn would have been better for her?? BTW there are a few schools in the Fullerton area. She will have a very big window to get the college experience with or without swimming. Her window of opportunity for making an Olympic team is not very big so she and her family made a choice to take the correct route to accomplish that goal. BTW, she pretty much accomplishes every goal she sets. Sorry for the rant. Nothing sad about the decision, other than it had to be made.
Submitted by: Osceola35
May 12, 2010 To the person who doesn't get the swim in college mentality. BTW it's a bit different then going to Fullerton and swimming at Fast. So don't bully my opinion, I think I know what I'm saying.
I wish the best to Dagney!!! Submitted by: swimfan3
May 12, 2010 Out of respect for Dagny and the family, and the decision, I will not bully your opinion. I know the details behind the decision and if you did you wouldn't have used a word like "sickened" when talking about the parents and thier part in that decision. I know what I'm saying as well. I am glad you support her, she needs all the support she can get. Submitted by: Osceola35
May 12, 2010 ironswim34: I'm interested in what you said about FAST being on the lighter/easier side for training, can you be any more specific? Do you mean more quality/race pace swims with more rest, as opposed to high yardage?? So far the elite swimmers at FAST haven't done quite as well as I expected; but on the other hand, it was early season and they were new to an also new program/coach, so I've been taking a wait-and-see attitude toward them. Submitted by: liquidassets
May 12, 2010 yes, it seems that FAST does well in 200 meter swims but has not at the 400 meter level. Who knows Hutchinson will either have his hands full, or go down as the greatest producer of Olympic talent ever produced and witnessed at London in 2012. He may just be that person that only comes along once in a lifetime with the right stuff (swimmers) . Submitted by: askme10
May 12, 2010 Yes, with the FAST swimmers, its lots of the circuits that Hutchinson is known for. So, its dryland along with swimming. Not very difficult, compared to a high quality aerobic or active rest set. Also, they (or atleast most) of them don't lift. If anything, i think its a small amount of lifting (no olympic lifts). I don't think Kukors does, not Burkle, and maybe Hoff does a little. Margalis- no. The training also is definitely not on the "high yardage lets pound them and make them exhausted side." Hope this is what you were asking Submitted by: ironswim34
May 12, 2010 Hmm based on what you two said, that might explain why Kukors has excelled at the 200 IM but plateaued somewhat at 400 IM. Submitted by: liquidassets
May 13, 2010 Hey guys I think you are really misrepresenting the program Hutchison provides. I will say before I put down my comments, I have been to probably over 100 of Sean's practices over the last 5 or 6 years and as a coach I have spent considerable time with others such as both Reeses, Bud McCalister, Salo, Stephens, Bergen, Bowman and the University of Arizona - Hutchison's program may not be traditionally what we consider hard, but make no mistake it is hard.
Yes they do a lot of circuits, but when you are doing circuits for 3 hours it is hard - what those circuits demand is extremely hard - the technical precision, the focus and the strength they demand is hard - the ability to use the strength and power he demands over 3 hours is hard.
Let's also not forget that Hutchison is a smart coach who does know and realize that not all swimmers should be trained in the same way - this is a coach whose mentors were people like Bergen and Bowman - he know when yardage is needed.
On the comment of the results of the swimmers to date - one thing about what Sean does is he is always asking swimmers to change - not only a little, but a lot more than most and not once in a technical fashion, but in how they train, how they swim and how they think. It takes a lot longer for swimmers to adapt to this kind of training and mental outlook - if you look at the athletes who have come to his program they all go through a Submitted by: MapleLeaf
May 13, 2010 a longer adaption period before they see results. Submitted by: MapleLeaf
May 13, 2010 The one thing I will say on this "easier" argument is that typically Sean's swimmers seem more ready to light it up at any point. I actually think this is quite smart, I theorize that he doesn't use a traditional approach where swimmers are just broken down for the entirety of the season and then rested for a few weeks. These swimmers are being trained hard but also given enough recovery to constantly adapt through the season. Submitted by: Chris DeSantis
May 14, 2010 I don't blame Dagny, but this bad news for both college and club swimming. The USA National Team Director, Mark Schubert, whose salary our members are paying, is financially enabling kids like Dagny and Scott Spann to leave their club programs and coaches to go swim for these national training centers. Even Schubert is getting back into the act as he's going to personally coach Hayley McGregory in Colorado Springs. How many colleges, clubs and NTCs has Hayley worn out her welcome??? Submitted by: joeyraider
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