California Men Sign Six

BERKELEY, California, November 18. THE No. 2-ranked California men's swimming program has signed six talented high school athletes, it was announced today (Nov. 16) by head coach David Durden. The Golden Bears' list of 2010 signees feature standouts Will Hamilton, Christian Higgins, Adam Hinshaw, Adam Jorgensen, Tyler Messerschmidt and Seth Stubblefied.

Hamilton is a talented butterflyer, freestyler, IMer from Franklin, Mich. and attends Detroit Country Day High School. He is a member of the 2010-11 USA National Youth Team and owns four Olympic Trial standards in the 100 (54.81 LCM) and 200 fly (2:00.49 LCM), 200 free (1:52.65 LCM) and 400 IM (4:28.82). Hamilton trains with the Akita Racing Team under the tutelage of John McGuire.

Higgins comes to Cal as a two-time National Junior Champion in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:02.29 LCM). Prepping at New Canaan High School in New Canaan, Conn., he is a six-time High School All-American and a member of the 2010 Junior Pan-Pacific Team that competed in Kihei, Hawaii this past August. As a member of the 2010 USA National Youth Team, Higgins is slated to help bolster the strong breaststroke group at Cal in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.

Hinshaw, whose brother, Ben, is a top sophomore swimmer for the Bears, is from Saratoga where he is a 10-time All-American at Saratoga High School. He participated at the 2010 Junior Pan-Pacific Meet in Kihei, Hawaii where he competed in the 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyles, the 400 IM, and the open water 10k event. Under the guidance of Scott Shea at Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, Hinshaw owns Olympic Trial standards in the 200, 400 (3:57.05 LCM) and 1500 freestyles (15:38.78 LCM), and the 400 IM (4:28.92 LCM).

"I distinctly recall my initial conversation with both Will Hamilton and his club coach John McGuire as the recruitment process began in July and I enjoyed John's approach to Will's development and success as both a swimmer and a young man," said Durden, the 2010 NCAA and Pac-10 Coach of the Year who led the Bears to a second place national finish. "I love Will's versatility as an athlete and I am looking forward to working with him. I really enjoyed getting to know Christian Higgins through the recruitment process. I loved watching his resiliency at this summer's US National Championships when he bounced back from a disappointing swim in the 100 breaststroke to final in the 200 breaststroke. As a breaststroker, Christian is a great fit in our program here at Cal. Scott Shea has done such a tremendous job with the young men in his area, and Adam Hinshaw is no different. We have watched Adam race and compete for a long time now, and we are excited to finally have the opportunity to work with him. He is a gritty racer who will impact our program in a positive way each and every day."

Adam Jorgensen, from Roseville High School in Roseville, Calif., is a four-time high school All-American as well as an Academic All-American as a sophomore and junior. Under the guidance of coach Debbie Walker at California Capital Aquatics, Jorgensen was a finalist at the 2010 National Junior Championships in Irvine in the 200 fly (2:02.55 LCM).

Tyler Messerschmidt concluded his high school swimming career Nov. 6 by breaking Gary Hall Jr.'s high school state record in the 100-yard freestyle. Messerschmidt's 43.71 time in the 100 freestyle, and 1:36.33 in the 200 freestyle, both set Arizona state marks. As a member of the 2010-2011 National Youth Team, he also competed at the Junior Pan-Pacific Championships in Kihei, Hawaii. Messerschmidt is a six-time state champion for Desert Edge High School in Phoenix, and competes for the YMCA Westside Silver Fins under the guidance of Matt Rankin.

From Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, Seth Stubblefield is coming to Cal as the 2010 Junior National champion in both the 100 and 200-meter butterflies. Stubblefield is also a member of the 2010-2011 National Youth Team and competed at the 2010 Junior Pan-Pacific Championships, earning a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly and a gold medal in the 400 Free Relay with future Bear teammate Tyler Messerschmidt. Under the guidance of Steve Mateer of the City of Plano Swimmers, Stubblefield is a member of multiple National Age Group record setting relays.

"I really enjoyed how engaged Adam Jorgensen was during the recruitment process," said Durden. "I definitely understood that he was looking for very specific characteristics in his future experience as a student-athlete and we are extremely grateful he selected Cal to continue his swimming success. Having the opportunity to watch Tyler Messerschmidt race at the Arizona High School state meet was a tremendous privilege. Tyler has great range in his events and has the ability to be impactful at the highest levels of the sport. Matt Rankin continues to do a fabulous job in Tyler's development and I look forward to having him a part of our program here at Cal. Seth Stubblefield is an amazing swimmer, but that does not begin to describe the quality of his character. The more I spoke with Seth during the recruitment process, the more I appreciated his qualities as a young man. Seth has tremendous versatility as both a freestyler and butterflyer, and Steve Mateer continues to develop great athletes out of the Dallas area."

Cal Men's Swimming 2010 Letter of Intent Signee Facts and Quotes

Will Hamilton
Parents: Robert and Dannielle Hamilton
Hometown: Franklin, Michigan
High School: Detroit Country Day
Club Team: Akita Racing Team
Club Coach: John McGuire
200 Fly (LCM)-2.00.49
200 Free (LCM)-1.52.65
400 IM (LCM)-4.28.82
100 Fly (LCM)-54.81

"There were a wide variety of reasons on why I chose to sign with Cal," said Hamilton. "Everything from the friendships I created with the guys, to the academics, to where I saw myself fitting in and making contribution to the team. In my mind, Cal was clearly the best in all of these areas."

Christian Higgins
Parents names: Elke and Jim
Hometown: New Canaan, Connecticut
High School: New Canaan High School
Club Team: Wilton YMCA Wahoos
Club Coach: Randy Erlenbach
100 Breast (SCY)-55.16; (LCM)-1.02.29
200 Breast (SCY)-1.57.61; (LCM)-2.14.14
400 IM (SCY)-3.59.54; (LCM)-4.35.10
"I visited the campus with my family when my older brother was on his college search," said Higgins. "I loved the campus immediately and had always wanted to go to a school on the West Coast – especially a school with the prestige of Cal. The academics are incredible, especially in the English department, which I am strongly considering as a major. Once I spoke to coach Durden I knew the combination of academics and athletics made Cal the place for me."

Adam Hinshaw
Parent's names: Laurie and Brad Hinshaw
Hometown: Saratoga, California
High School: Saratoga High School
Club Team: Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics (PASA)
Club Coach: Scott Shea
1650 Free (SCY)-15:20.45
500 Free (SCY)-4:22.27
1500 Free (LCM)-15:38.78
400 Free (LCM)-3:57.05
400 IM (LCM)-4:28.92

"I am looking forward to training with everyone on the team," said Hinshaw. "I'm especially looking forward to swimming with my brother Ben again. We have always been great training partners."

Adam Jorgensen
Parent's names: Terry and Kim Jorgensen
Hometown: Roseville, California
High School: Roseville High School
Club Team: California Capital Aquatics
Club Coach: Debbie Walker
200 Free (SCY)-1:38.56
100 Fly (SCY)-49.32; (LCM)-56.03
200 Fly (SCY)-1:48.36; (LCM)-2:02.55

"I am looking forward to training with everyone on the team," said Jorgensen. "While I was on my recruiting trip I really liked how diverse the team was. Every single person was bringing something a little different to the practices and that's not something you can say about all teams."

Tyler Messerschmidt
Parent's names: Allison and Eric Messerschmidt
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
High School: Desert Edge High School
Club Team: YMCA Westside Silver Fins
Club Coach: Matt Rankin
100 Free (SCY)-43.71; (LCM)-50.25
200 Free (SCY)-1:36.33
200 Back (SCY): 1:44.67

"From the coaching staff, athletes, and overall surroundings, Cal was the easiest decision I have made in my life," said Messerschmidt. "I can't wait for next year to be a true, GOLDEN BEAR."

Seth Stubblefield
Parent's names: J. Scott and Patti Stubblefield
Hometown: Plano, Texas
High School: Plano Senior High School
Club Team: City of Plano Swimmers (COPS)
Club Coach: Steve Mateer
50 Free (SCY)-20.23; (LCM)-23.07
100 Free (SCY)-44.01; (LCM)-50.80
100 Fly (SCY)-48.52; (LCM)-54.00
200 Fly (SCY)-1:46.67; (LCM)-1:59.15

"I was looking for a university that was strong in both swimming and academics," said Stubblefield. "The location in California was an added plus! I really enjoy training outside as well. Dave (Durden), Greg (Meehan, assistant coach), and Nick (Folker, strength coach) are the best in the country and obviously I'm honored to part of their team."

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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