San Jose State Announces Early Signing Class

SAN JOSE, California, December 1. SAN Jose State University women's swimming and diving head coach Sage Hopkins has announced the signing of six prospects to a National Letter-of-Intent and the addition of one transfer student for the 2007-08 season during the early period.

"We are very excited about the seven new swimmers that will be joining us here at San Jose State," said Hopkins, now in his second year in charge. "We've brought in a very talented group, both in the pool and in the classroom. They are all hard workers, and will be able to step in and immediately contribute points both in dual meets and in our conference championship."

Five of the six NLI signings are currently at California high schools, with one, Kirsten Trammell, at Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, Ariz. There are multiple high school All-America distinctions among the newcomers.

Jillian Cureton, out of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Northgate High School, is a member of the Terrapin Swim Team under coaches Ray Mitchell and Paul Stafford. A strong student, her best times are 2:09.8 in the 200 individual medley, 4:33.6 in the 400 individual medley, 1:07.2 in the 100 breaststroke and 1:00.9 in the 100 backstroke.

"Jillian Cureton is a highly versatile swimmer out of one of the top club programs in the nation," said Hopkins. "She will be able to score points for us in individual medley, breaststroke and backstroke events."

Caitlin Macky is from Lakeside, Calif., in the San Diego area, and currently attends West Hills High School. She competes for Dave Kilmer with the College Area Swim Team. Her top times are 1:05.2 in the 100 breaststroke, 2:24.0 in the 200 breaststroke, 2:07.6 in the 200 individual medley and 58.1 in the 100 butterfly.

"Caitlin Macky is a breaststroke, IM and butterfly specialist, and is a swimmer with a great work ethic who is going to be able to step in and contribute immediately," commented Hopkins.

Meghan McCurley, from Fair Oaks, Calif., currently competes at both Bella Vista High School and under coach Jeff Jungk with the Glen Oaks Summer League team. An accomplished student, her top times are 24.7 in the 50 freestyle and 54.0 in the 100 freestyle.

"Meghan McCurley is an under-the-radar sprint freestyler out of the Sacramento area. She comes from the same summer league program as (current Spartan standout) Brie Marhenke. With her limited background, we're very excited about her potential for improvement."

Kirsten Trammell, out of Goodyear, Ariz., and Xavier College Prep, competes under Dennis Pursley and Dave Gibson for the Brophy East Swim Team. Her top times include 1:06.4 in the 100 breaststroke, 2:25.9 in the 200 breaststroke, 2:09.1 in the 200 individual medley and 18:02.4 in the 1650 freestyle.

"Kirsten Trammell is a very talented breaststroke, individual medley and distance freestyler," remarked Hopkins. "She has made tremendous strides in the last year, and comes out of one of the stronger club programs in the country."

Murphy Wimer is another San Diego area swimmer from Solana Beach, Calif., and Torrey Pines High School. She swims for Joe Benjamin with the Rancho San Dieguito club team. Her top times include 5:00.8 in the 500 freestyle, 2:25.3 in the 200 breaststroke, 4:33.6 in the 400 individual medley, 2:10.7 in the 200 individual medley and 9:18.6 in the 800 freestyle.

Said Hopkins, "Murphy Wimer is a very versatile swimmer who will be able to score points in middle-distance and distance freestyle, as well as breaststroke and IM. She comes from a very strong club program, has a great work ethic, and will factor in immediately as a freshman."

Daphne Yeung, a local prospect out of South San Francisco (Calif.) High School, swims for Chris Culp with the Burlingame Aquatic Club. Her top times are 24.7 in the 50 freestyle and 53.8 in the 100 freestyle.

"Daphne Yeung is a local sprint freestyler from South San Francisco," said Hopkins. "She made great improvements last summer in the sprint freestyle events, and will be able to step in and immediately contribute in individual as well as relay events."

In addition to the six incoming freshmen, Nathalie Echeverri will be joining the Spartans in the spring of 2007 as a transfer student from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. Echeverri is attending UMass for the current fall semester and training with the swim team, but is not competing. She previously swam at Division III Salem State College in Salem, Mass., under former Viking head coach and current first-year Spartan assistant coach Bobby Mattin for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. She will train with the Spartans this spring and begin competition in 2007-08 with two years of eligibility remaining.

"Nathalie Echeverri looks to be a highly-talented sprint freestyler. We are very excited about developing her into somebody that can potentially be a major factor at the conference level."

"This is certainly our strongest early signing class, and one of our strongest classes ever at San Jose State," concluded Hopkins.

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