MINNEAPOLIS, MN, December 31. UNIVERSITY of Minnesota co-head women\u2019s swim coaches Kelly Kremer and Terry Nieszner announced their first recruiting class last month, signing eight standout athletes from across the nation. <\/p>\n
The Gophers signed Jenny Shaughnessy (Rochester, Minn.), Meredith McCarthy (The Woodlands, Texas), Erin Holtmeyer (Omaha, Neb.), Christine Jennings (Longmont, Colo.), Linzey Bachmeier (Mandan, N.S.), Danielle Ridder (St. Louis, Mo.), Kait Strickland (North Berwick, Maine) and Katie Brosseau (Springfield, Mo.) to NCAA National Letters of Intent. All eight will join the Golden Gopher swim team in the 2005-06 campaign. <\/p>\n
Shaughnessy is a member of the John Marshall swim team and the Med City Swim Club in Rochester, Minn. In her tenure, Shaughnessy is a five-time NISCA All-American and a six-time all-conference selection. Shaughnessy enters her senior season as a three-time Minnesota State High School champion in the 200 individual medley (2002 and 2003) and the 100 freestyle (2003). Shaughnessy, who a National Honor Society member, is also on the A Honor roll and looks to pursue a degree in the medical field.<\/p>\n
McCarthy enters her senior year as a 12-time NISCA All-American. Competing with The Woodlands Swim Team, McCarthy was a Texas State High School champion in the 200freestyle. A national qualifier in the 100 and 200 free events, McCarthy finished second in the 100 free at the 2004 Junior Nationals and was a member of the champion 800 free relay. McCarthy, who attends Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas, is a member of the National Honor Society and is on the honor roll.<\/p>\n
Like McCarthy, Holtmeyer is a 12-time NISCA All-American. Competing with the Marian High School swim team, Holtmeyer is a 10-time Nebraska State champion. Also competing with Swim Omaha, Holtmeyer is a national qualifier in the 50 freestyle and is the Midwestern Athlete representative to United States Swimming. Holtmeyer, who is a National Honor Society member, will graduate in the top 10 percent of her class.<\/p>\n
Jennings swims for the Boulder Swim Club in Boulder Colo. Jennings, a U.S. national qualifier in the 200 and 400 free, Jennings placed 25th at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 free. A NISCA All-American, Jennings was also the 2004 Junior National champion in the 400 free. Hailing from Niwot High School in Longmont, Colo., Jennings is an Academic All-American and plans to major in business at Minnesota.<\/p>\n
Bachmeier, who swims for Mandan High School, is a seven-time all-state selection. Bachmeier finished her high school career as a 12-time North Dakota State High School champion, winning in seven individual events and five relays. She holds the state record in the 50 free and the 100 butterfly and was named the 2004 North Dakota State High School Senior Swimmer of the Year. In the classroom, Bachmeier is a six-year academic all-conference selection and plans to major in chemical engineering at Minnesota.<\/p>\n
Ridder, who swims for the Parkway Swim Club, was a Junior National qualifier in the 400 IM. Ridder was also a Sectional qualifier in every event except the 100 backstroke. She went on to earn Parkway Swim Club\u2019s Best Attendance Award for three consecutive years. A Parkway West high school student, Ridder is on the honor roll and will pursue a degree in health sciences. <\/p>\n
Strickland swims for the New England Barracudas. At the 2004 U.S. Nationals, Strickland finished 24th in the 400 IM. She was a Scholastic All-American the past two years. A senior at North Berwick High School, Strickland is a member of the honor roll and is a member of the National Honor Society. <\/p>\n
Brosseau is a member of the Springfield Aquatics Club under Coaches Brian Reynolds and Bryan Beatty. During her time there, Brosseau achieved the Junior National championship in the 400 IM. She enters the Minnesota program with a 4:54 time in the 500 free, a 16:44 in the 1,650 free and a 4:20.4 in the 400 IM. A senior at Logan-Rogersville High School, Brosseau is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in biology at Minnesota.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was important for Terry and I to find the right student athletes for our program as we begin this new era in women\u2019s swimming and diving here at Minnesota,\u201d Kremer said. \u201cWith these eight young women, we accomplished this. \u201cI believe we have a class here that will compliment our current team perfectly and should assist us in taking a large step forward at the Big Ten and NCAA levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe University of Minnesota Women\u2019s Swimming and Diving program has a long tradition of excellence,\u201d Nieszner said. \u201cKelly and I were entrusted with a great responsibility and an awesome opportunity when athletics director Joel Maturi hired us as co-head coaches last spring. This recruiting class represents some of the finest student-athletes in the country. We are proud and confident that this class will honor the tradition of excellence and reset the standards by which Minnesota is measured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Name Event High School Last Team<\/p>\n
Jenny Shaughnessey Free\/IM Lourdes John Marshall HS\/Med City
\nMeredith McCarthy Free Oak Ridge The Woodlands Swim Team
\nErin Holtmeyer Free Marian Swim Omaha
\nChristine Jennings M\/D Free Niwot Boulder Swim Club
\nLinzey Bachmeier Free\/Fly Mandan Mandan High School
\nDanielle Ridder IM Parkway Parkway Swim Club
\nKait Strickland IM Noble New England Barracudas
\nKatie Brosseau Dis. Free\/IM Logan-Rogersville Springfield Aquatics <\/p>\n
Kremer on Shaughnessy: \u201cOne of our primary goals is to keep the best student athletes in the State of Minnesota at home. With Jenny, we accomplished this. Jenny is the type of student-athlete that will thrive in our swimming and diving programs at the \u2018U\u2019. She is as talented as they come, and she will be a household name in the world of swimming in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Shaughnessy: \u201cIt always special to keep Minnesota student-athletes at home. Jenny is an outstanding student-athlete that represents all of what Minnesota athletics is about. A pre-med major, Jenny will pursue excellence in academics and athletics while representing the University of Minnesota swimming and diving program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on McCarthy: \u201cWe are so excited that Meredith has chosen to be a Golden Gopher. Swimmers who come out of The Woodlands Swim Team under Coach MacFarland and Coach Bauer are taught to think big and to think outside the box. Meredith will have an immediate impact on all phases of our program and like so many in her freshmen class, she promises to be a factor at the 2008 Olympic Trials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on McCarthy: \u201cMeredith brings a new level of respect to Minnesota. She is a national caliber swimmer who chose Minnesota over two-time defending national champion Auburn. We are happy and proud to have Meredith in our program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on Holtmeyer: \u201cErin continues a long line of elite student-athletes who have come to Minnesota from Docker\u2019s (Hartfield) program at Swim Omaha. Erin will be counted on in the sprints and the sprint relays at both the Big Ten and NCAA levels. With Erin, we are getting the prototypical student-athlete that every coach is looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Holtmeyer: \u201cThe commitment and goals of Erin make her an excellent addition to our team and program. She is an awesome sprinter and we are thrilled that she has chosen Minnesota to pursue her undergraduate studies in pre-dentistry while competing at the highest level athletically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on Jennings: \u201cCoach Jim Richey has produced swimmers at the highest level for quite sometime now. Larson Jenson (Mission Viejo Nadadores), the American Record Holder in the 1500 Meter Free and Silver Medalist at the 2004 Olympics, is a product of his program, so with Christine we\u2019re getting an athlete who understands what is necessary to swim at the highest level. She will immediately add strength to our middle distance and distance freestyles, and she will be a force for us at the Conference and NCAA Championships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Jennings: \u201cChristine brings with her a work ethic that will enhance everyone around her. She leads by example and will set a new standard for dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on Bachmeier: \u201cLinzey is a great athlete with tremendous potential in the pool. She is accustomed to being part of a top swimming program at Mandan High School and this experience will be beneficial to us as we move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Bachmeier: \u201cLinzey brings an excitement with her that radiates. She is a swimmer who we believe will surprise many and make an impact immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on Ridder: \u201cDanielle comes to us from the same program as Minnesota men\u2019s swimming freshman standout Mike Woodson. Nick (Rudich) has done a great job of preparing Danielle for college swimming, and when she starts to compete the way she has been training, look out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Ridder: Danielle is a very versatile swimmer that will add depth for us in many areas. She is an exciting addition from an outstanding program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on Strickland: \u201cKait\u2019s coaches, Matt (Forrest) and Chuck (Batchelor), approached us at US Nationals and let us know Kait was one of the hardest workers they had ever coached. This seems to apply to all facets of Kait\u2019s life and we are looking forward to the positive impact she will have on our program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Strickland: \u201cKait has proven herself already to be an impact swimmer at the national level. Her personality and dedication as a student and as an athlete make her a very valuable addition to our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kremer on Brosseau: \u201cThis class is loaded with student-athletes, who work hard and think big. Katie is a shining example of this. She will push our distance group to a new level and will provide needed strength in our 400 IM.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nieszner on Brosseau: \u201cKatie will add to our program immediately by scoring points. She also brings with her the attitude and habits of a true champion. These are attributes that will benefit our team and program immeasurably.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, December 31. UNIVERSITY of Minnesota co-head women\u2019s swim coaches Kelly Kremer and Terry Nieszner announced their first recruiting class last month, signing eight standout athletes from across the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n