Photo Courtesy: Tia Patron\/Tennessee Athletics<\/p>\n
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, September 24. THE\u00a0University of Utah women\u2019s swimming and diving team will host Stanford this Friday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. MT inside Ute Natatorium. Following Utah\u2019s season-opening meet, the current squad will compete with former members of the swim and dive teams on Saturday, Sept. 27 in the annual Alumni meet, which is set to begin at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
Ute returns with 22 swimmers and 12 freshman. There will be two returners in particular that will help the Utes score big this season. Stina Colleou, sophomore, placed ninth in the 200 breast at the NCAA\u2019s earning All-American honors and represented Norway at the European Championships this past summer. Another key swimmer for the Utes will be Giuliana Gigliotti, captain and senior for the Utes. Gigliotti is one of the top sprinters for the women.<\/p>\n
There will be some newcomers who will also contribute to the Utes success this season. Freshman Maddie Miesel and Kat Whickman both will swim distance. Meisel is from Long Beack, Calif. while Whickman is from Palm Springs, Calif.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie Meisel and Kat Whickam are going to be sensational for us in the mid-distance freestyle. Maddie also is doing some butterfly. They are really going to be sensational for us all season long,\u201d said Utah Head coach Joe Dykstra about the new freshman.<\/p>\n
Another newcomer for the Utes is Dorien Butter from Cairo, Egypt. She will be alongside Gigliotti in sprints.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Dorien Butter is going to be a big time performer for us,\u201d said Dykstra about Butter. \u201cShe has an interesting background. She hasn’t the opportunity to train at a high level or even train with a full training program. She has been doing her high schooling in Egypt where access to pools and things like that are severely limited. This is her first time ever in a full, dedicated training program. I think what we have seen from her she is going to be one of top sprinters this year. It will be tougher to adjust to but once she does, she will be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hailey Pabst is the only local signee from Logan, Utah. She will be competing for the Utes in the back as well as the free. Along side her is newcomer to the Utes swim team but not a newcomer to the University is second year Rhi Williams. Competing for the Utah Track and Field team, Williams will also compete with the swim team this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she (Pabst) is going to open some eyes; she certainly has in training so far about how good she can be. It\u2019s great to have somebody local that can contribute for us. Somebody who is in their second year at Utah but first year as a swimmer is Rhi Williams. She was an elite swimmer in high school coming out of high school in Colorado. She was offered scholarships in both swimming and track. She chose to come to Utah on a track scholarship and was a part of the school record setting relay team last year. She\u2019s going to double sports this year. She will be one of our best sprinters. She is extremely talented,\u201d said Dykstra about the two and what they have to offer this season.<\/p>\n
Stanford will be bringing some of their top swimmers. Two swimmers in particular will be coming; freshman Simone Manuel and sophomore Lia Neal. Both Manuel and Neal were named to the 2014-15 U.S. National Team earlier this month. Times from the 2014 Phillips 66\/USA Swimming National Champions and 2014 Pan Pacific Championships were used to determine the squad.<\/p>\n
The Utes will travel to Colorado the following week for the Intermountain Shootout on Oct. 3-4.<\/p>\n