Iowa Announces Signing Class

IOWA CITY, IA – University of Iowa Head Men's Swimming Coach Marc Long has announced that six prep athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa in 2010. Student athletes Tyler Lentz, Devon Meeks, Kyle Noser, Dustin Rhoads, Gianni Sesto and Erik van Dooren have committed to join the Iowa swimming program next fall. The Hawkeyes tapped into five different states and Switzerland to complete their recruiting class.

University of Iowa Head Women's Swimming Coach Marc Long has announced that nine prep athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa in 2010. Student athletes Katelyn Baltes, Elise Borja, Emily Christiansen, Lauren Drennan, Haley Gordon, Emily Hovren, Lauren Kelba, Abbey Tuchscherer and Karolina Wartalowicz have committed to join the Iowa swimming program next fall. The Hawkeyes tapped into Canada and five different states to complete their recruiting class.

Lentz, a native of Reedsburg, WI, attends Sauk Prairie High School, where he holds the school record in the 200 free, 500 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 200 individual medley, 200 and 400 free relay. Lentz is a three-time Junior National qualifier and state record holder in the 200 free relay. He earned all-American honors in the 200 freestyle relay as a sophomore and was a four-time all-American his junior year.

Quoting Coach Long: "Tyler had a tremendous summer and we're very excited about his future. He's a hard-working and versatile swimmer. We're anxious to work with him next season."

Meeks, a native of Farmington, MN, attends Rosemount High School. He was the Minnesota State High School champion in the 50 yard freestyle and runner-up in the 100 yard freestyle. Meeks is a Junior National qualifier in multiple events.

Quoting Coach Long: "Devon is an excellent, developing swimmer. He's proven himself as a competitor by winning state titles and excelling on relays. Devon has a bright future in the Big Ten."

Noser attends ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, CO, where he holds school records in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM. Noser is a two-time all-American and all-state performer. He has earned all-conference honors every year since his freshman season in 2007. He has placed second at the state meet in the 100 breaststroke each of the last two seasons and led his team to a second-place finish at the Colorado State Championships in 2009.

Quoting Coach Long: "Kyle is a welcome addition to our breaststroke group. He's a very motivated and talented swimmer and we're looking for him to have a great impact."

Rhoads, a native of Ames, IA, attends Ames High School. He placed third at the 2009 Iowa State High School Boys Championships in the 100 butterfly. Rhoads is a Junior National qualifier in the 100 yard backstroke.

Quoting Coach Long: "Dustin is continuing to develop into one of the great swimmers in the midwest. He had significant time drops this summer and has already posted personal-bests early in his high school season. We're expecting Dustin to be a strong contributor as a freshman. We're excited to work with another great in-state talent."

Sesto, a native of Las Vegas, NV, attends Palo Verde High School, where he is the school record holder in the 500 free, 200 free, 100 back, 200 medley relay, 200 and 400 free relay. Sesto enters his senior season a three-time Nevada High School State champion and defending 200 free and 100 back conference champion. In 2009, Sesto earned NISCA all-American honors in the 200 free and 100 back. He is a Junior National, National and US Open qualifier and holds the Nevada Sunset Regional record in the 100 back.
Quoting Coach Long: "Gianni is a strong freestyler that continues to show great improvement. He'll be an outstanding addition to our very competitive freestyle group."

A native of Geneva, Switzerland, van Dooren attends Centro Sportivo Tenero Academy. He placed third in the 50 meter freestyle at the 2009 European Junior Championships. At the 2009 Swiss National championships, van Dooren placed fourth in the 50 meter freestyle and sixth in the 100 meter freestyle.

Quoting Coach Long: "Erik is ranked as one of the top sprinters for his age in the world. His addition provides quality depth to our already outstanding sprint group. Erik will immediately take our relays to higher levels."

2010 Recruiting Class, Hometown, Event, Personal Best

Tyler Lentz, Reedsburg, WI
200 meter Individual Medley, 2:07.71
200 Meter Backstroke, 2:07.96
100 Meter Butterfly, 56.97

Devon Meeks, Farmington, MN
50 Yard Freestyle, 20.73
100 Yard Freestyle, 45.44
100 Yard Backstroke, 50.95
100 Yard Butterfly, 50.81

Kyle Noser, Denver, CO
100 Yard Breaststroke, 58.23
200 Yard Breaststroke, 2:06.20

Dustin Rhoads, Ames, IA
100 Yard Butterfly, 50.80
100 Yard Backstroke, 50.57

Gianni Sesto, Las Vegas, NV
200 Yard Freestyle, 1:39.51
1000 Yard Freestyle, 9:34.10
100 Meter Freestyle, 52.47

Erik van Dooren, Geneva, Switzerland
50 LC Meter freestyle, 22.68
100 LC Meter freestyle, 50.95

Baltes, a native of Madison, WI, attends Verona Area High School, where she holds school records in the 200 medley relay and 100 breaststroke. She is a Junior National qualifier in the 100 breaststroke, the same event she broke the conference record in as a freshman in 2006. Baltes is a six-time conference champion and has earned all-state honors three times.

Quoting Coach Long: "Katelyn will add much needed depth in our breaststroke events. She comes from a very successful club in Madison (BAC) and is continuing to show great development in her events."

Borja, a native of Hartford, WI, attends Waukesha South High School. She has earned 10 all-conference honors and six all-state laurels. Borja earned team MVP honors as a freshman by placing first in both the 50 free and 100 free at the conference meet.

Quoting Coach Long: "Elise also comes from a strong club background in Wisconsin (Wakesha Express) and has experience racing at the National level. She'll add immediate depth and experience to our freestyle groups."

Christiansen attends Mountain View High School in Mesa, AZ, where she was a two-time all-American and twice earned team MVP honors. In 2008, Christiansen won the state championship in the 500 free, one year after recording a runner up finish her junior season. She holds school records in the 500 free, 200 medley relay, 200 and 400 free relays, and is an eight-time place winner at the Arizona state meet.

Quoting Coach Long: "Emily comes to Iowa as a highly motivated competitor with a tremendous future. She followed her outstanding summer with a win at the very competitive Arizona State Meet. We're looking forward to her joining our team and having an impact in all of the freestyle events."

Drennan, a native of Danville, IL, attends Danville High School. She is a four-time team MVP and school record holder in the 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, 200 medley, 200 and 400 free relays. She is a five-time state qualifier and in 2009, she earned all-state honors and was named New-Gazette Swimmer of the Year. Drennan earned all-area honors in each of her four seasons and served as a Danville co-captain her junior and senior seasons.

Quoting Coach Long: "Lauren will contribute in the sprint freestyle and butterfly events. She's a strong competitor, and we're looking forward to working with Lauren as she develops."

Gordon, a native of Sioux Falls, SD, attends Washington High School. Gordon is a Senior National qualifier in multiple events. She won the high point championship at the 2008 Mega-Zone and was the Female "Swimmer of the Year" in 2008 at WHS. Haley's brother Paul is a member of the Iowa Men's Swim Team.

Quoting Coach Long: "Haley is one of the most versatile swimmers in her region and we're excited about her future at Iowa. We feel she'll have an immediate impact on our team and in the Big Ten."

Hovren attends University High School in Bloomington, IN, where she holds the school records in the 200 IM and 200 free relay. Hovren is a three-time all-state honoree and two-time team MVP. She has finished in the top five at the state meet three times and currently holds the Bloomington High School 200 IM pool record.

Quoting Coach Long: "Emily had an outstanding summer. She has the ability to excel at many events and will immediately contribute to our young team."

Kelba, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, represented her country at multiple junior international diving meets. Her featured events include the 3-Meter Springboard and the Platform.

Tuchscherer attends Oshkosh West High High School in Oschkosch, WI. She holds schools records in the 100 fly, 200 medley relay and 400 free relay. She is an eight-time YMCA state champion and four-time first-team all-conference honoree. Tuchscherer earned all-state honors from 2007-09 and was named conference co-MVP in 2008. She earned her team's Outstanding Work Ethic Award as a freshman and served as team co-captain her junior and senior seasons.

Quoting Coach Long: "Abbey will enter our lineup in the Butterfly events. However, we look for continued development in many events. We're excited to work with such a motivated and exciting young swimmer."

Wartalowicz, a native of Oswego, IL, attends Oswego East High School, where she holds the school record in the 100 breaststroke. She is a four-time all-conference representative and a two time all-American. Wartalowicz is the three-time defending conference champion in the 100 breaststroke and she has placed in the top five at the state meet three times since 2007.

Quoting Coach Long: "Karolina is a strong competitor in the breaststroke events. She also comes from a very strong club background (Academy Bullets) and is prepared to have an immediate impact on our team and in the conference. We're enthusiastic about her future."

2010 Recruiting Class, Hometown, Event, Personal Bests

Katelyn Baltes, Madison, WI
100 Yard Breaststroke, 1:06.14

Elise Borja, Waukesha, WI
50 Yard Freestyle, 24.19
100 Yard Freestyle, 52.68

Emily Christiansen, Mesa, AZ
50 LC Meter Freestyle, 27.38
100 LC Meter Freestyle, 58.79
200 LC Meter Freestyle, 2:05.56
400 LC Meter Freestyle, 4:21.79

Lauren Drennan, Danville, IL
100 Yard Butterfly, 57.58

Haley Gordon, Sioux Falls, SD
100 Yard Breaststroke, 1:04.94
200 Yard Breaststroke, 2:21.51
100 Yard Butterfly, 56.71
200 Yard Butterfly, 2:03.61
200 LC Meters Individual Medley, 2:23.5
100 LC Meters Butterfly, 1:03.0

Emily Hovren, Normal, IL
50 Meter Freestyle, 26.97
100 Meter Freestyle, 58.05
200 Meter Individual Medley, 2:21.81

Lauren Kelba, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Represented Canada at multiple junior international diving meets
Featured Events: 3-meter springboard, Platform

Abbey Tuchscherer, Oshkosh, WI
100 Yard Butterfly, 56.61
200 Yard Butterfly, 2:05.53

Karolina Wartolowicz, Oswego, IL
100 Yard Breaststroke, 1:03.87
200 Yard Breaststroke, 2:17.89

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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