LSU Announces Early Signing Class

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, November 24. THE nationally-ranked LSU men's and women's swimming and diving teams have signed 15 prep standouts to National Letters of Intent for the 2010-11 season, head coach Adam Schmitt announced Tuesday.

The Lady Tigers' class of 10 swimmers features four 2008 Olympic Trials and World Championship Trials qualifiers and six athletes with top times already comparable to NCAA provisional qualifying standards. The men's class includes one of the top sprinting prospects in the country and a pair of impact divers.

"I am very excited about this recruiting class," Schmitt said. "For the second year in a row we have successfully recruited high-profile athletes to our program. They will all make an immediate impact on our future success.

"A lot of the credit goes to the efforts of my assistants for showing these athletes from around the world what a great university and many great traditions we have here at LSU."

Headlining the women's class is the North Carolina tandem of Cari Blalock and Torrey Bussey, Maryland product Andrea Staub and Wisconsin native Emily Schwabe.

Blalock, a member of the CollegeSwimming.com Top 100, is a tremendous butterfly and individual medley prospect who boasts sizzling lifetime bests of 53.79 seconds and 4:15.68 in the 100-yard fly and 400 I.M., respectively. The high school All-American will also bring in a top time of 1:59.59 in the 200 fly and 2:03.39 in the 200 I.M.

Bussey, another member of the CollegeSwimming.com Top 100, also excels in individual medley events and should emerge as one of the Lady Tigers' top breaststrokers right away. A four-time state champion, Bussey claims personal bests of 1:02.51 in the 100 breast, 2:14.18 in the 200 breast and 2:00.55 in the 200 I.M.

Staub, who trains at the elite North Baltimore Aquatic Club, is arguably the women's most versatile signee who has the potential to shine in butterfly, individual medley and freestyle races. She holds personal bests of 2:00.55 in the 200 fly, 4:18.03 in the 400 I.M., 2:02.01 in the 200 I.M. and 2:03.88 in the 200-meter free.

Schwabe figures to add to a deep group of breaststrokers and individual medley performers next season. A 12-time Wisconsin state record-holder, she's been clocked as fast as 2:16.05 and 1:03.68 in the 200 and 100 breast, respectively.

On the men's side, Miami product Michael Saco and versatile prospect Shane Coltharp should provide an immediate boost to the swimming corps. Saco is one of the fastest American sprinting signees in the 2010 class with blistering top times of 20.11 in the 50 free and 44.21 in the 100 free. Coltharp will be a promising addition to freestyle, backstroke, I.M. and butterfly races as the two-time Kentucky state champ owns personal bests of 4:30.23 in the 500 free, 1:50.97 in the 200 back, 1:50.73 in the 200 I.M. and 1:51.46 in the 200 fly.

Fellow signee Walter Loop will add solid depth to the breaststroke events, and the coaching staff is excited about his long-term potential.

The Lady Tigers also inked several swimmers who will make significant contributions in their specialty stroke disciplines.

Texan Kyra Jones is a fantastic prep backstroker with lifetime bests of 55.76 in the 100 back and 1:58.71 in the 200 back, while breaststroker Jesi Kopsco claims long-course marks of 1:11.73 in the 100m breast and 2:34.29 in the 200m breast. Sprinters Rainey White and Mikayda Mills show great promise in the 50 free with top times of 23.65 and 23.69, respectively.

Fellow signees Emily Weaner and Parker Glass will be nice additions in their respective events. Weaner, a native of Gettysburg, Pa., holds a top time of 2:18.53 in the 200m fly, while Parker, a product of Mobile, Ala., comes in with a mark of 56.94 in the 100 back.

LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer signed two stellar divers in Daniel Helm and Sean McKinney who he believes will help form one of the strongest men's diving squads in the SEC along with returnees Brian Gemberling, Matt Vieke and Jesse Lyman.

Helm, a product of Beaverton, Ore., is a Junior Olympic finalist and was the 2009 JO Regional and Zone champion. McKinney, a native of Springfield, Va., is a three-time Junior National finalist, a participant in both the 2009 Junior and Senior National Championships and a 2006 AAU national champion.

"I couldn't be happier with this male diving signing class," Shaffer said. "Daniel and Sean represent a truly exciting future for LSU diving. They come with a wealth of experience at the Junior Olympic level on both springboard and platform.

"I think Daniel's greatest strength and future lie in the platform event, but he is an excellent and accomplished springboard diver as well. He is fiercely motivated, and I'm confident he'll excel immediately. Sean is a very well-rounded diver who is experienced on all levels. He is a seasoned competitor with tremendous talent and potential. I'm excited to see him flourish in our program."

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.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x