The following is a press release courtesy of the Univerity of North Carolina:
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina swimming and diving program has added one woman and five men to its recruiting class for the 2014-15 school year. Zhada Fields will join the UNC women next fall while Tom Bliden, Noah Cairns, Jared Martin, Austin Sellers and Jack Welker will be coming on board for the men’s squad.
This group will joining the Tar Heel recruits who were signed during the fall signing period (Link Here).
Here is a series of brief biographies on the Tar Heels’ spring recruits.
Zhada Fields – Toledo, Ohio; Saint Ursula Academy; Greater Toledo Aquatic Club; (High School & Club Coach David Einstein)
Top Times: 23.40/:50.71/1:48.26/4:52.93 SCY Freestyle; 54.94/1:58.35 SCY Backstroke
Coach DeSelm: “Zhada brings a nice mix of ability in both middle distance free and the backstrokes. We think she will blossom in the college team environment and look forward to helping her develop starting this fall.”
Zhada Fields: “I chose UNC because I have family nearby and it has endless academic and athletic opportunities. I also loved the energy of the people and the campus while I was there.”
Tom Bilden – Chapel Hill, N.C.; Carrboro High School (Coach Julie Neal); North Carolina Aquatic Club (Coach Sean Quinn)
Top Times: 49.75/1:47.62 SCY Butterfly; 4:01.86 SCY Individual Medley; 56.86/2:02.48 LCM Butterfly
Coach DeSelm: “Tom is a strong student and swimmer. He is another local swimmer who chose to remain in town to pursue his collegiate career. Tom’s primary events are fly and IM. He has had a terrific year of improvement and we think he has tremendous potential to be a great college swimmer. He is also very interested UNC’s Kenan Flagler Business School.”
Tom Bilden: “I chose UNC for many reasons. First, I am honored to swim for Coach (Rich) DeSelm, and I am looking forward to improving my stroke under the UNC coaches’ expertise. The UNC team has an exceptional synergy of which I am excited to be a part. I am very impressed with the academic offerings, especially the Kenan-Flagler undergraduate business school. During the recruiting process, I heard the term feel being thrown around. Feel is the gut instinct that a certain school is the right fit. Between the competitive swimming opportunity, the historic and beautiful campus, and the impressive academic offerings, UNC has that feel for me”
Noah Cairns – Chapel Hill, N.C.: Cardinal Gibbons High School (Coach Jonah Turner); North Carolina Aquatic Club (Coach Sean Quinn)
Top Times: 3:52.15 SCY Individual Medley; 1:41.12/4:27.41/9:16.62/15:26.81 SCY Freestyle; 2:03.31 SCY Breaststroke
Notes: Cairns is also a very strong student. UNC coach Rich DeSelm coached his father, Dr. Bruce Cairns, in the 1980s. Dr. Cairns is the Director of the UNC Jaycee Burn Center and current Faculty Chair at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Coach DeSelm: “We have watched Noah develop through our NCAC program and he is a fast improving and versatile swimmer. Noah is going to help us. He can swim multiple distances in the freestyle, has a great 400 IM, is a hard worker and a terrific racer. We look forward to having another local NCAC swimmer join our team and are eager to help him continue to develop.”
Noah Cairns: “I chose UNC because of the incredible atmosphere that Chapel Hill, and the swimming & diving team, have to offer. Chapel Hill is a fantastic mix of quality academics and athletics. All around, UNC just felt like the perfect place for me.”
Jared Martin – Greensboro, N.C.: Page High School (Coach Nicole Krasowski); Greensboro Swim Association (Coach Kevin Thornton)
Top Times – 49.55,100 SCY Butterfly; 50.76, 100 SCY Backstroke; 46.85, 100 SCY Free :46.85
Notes: Admitted to the UNC Honors Program.
Coach DeSelm: “It is great to have another North Carolinian joining our team. Jared has a great improvement trend going, is a fantastic student who has been invited into UNC’s Honors Program and will be a great addition to the team.”|
Jared Martin: “UNC is everything I could want in a student-athlete experience: outstanding academics, a sports tradition like no other university, and a beautiful place to spend four years.”
Austin Sellers – Tampa, Fla.: Jesuit High School; Academy Aquatic Team (School & Club Coach Bill Shaffer)
Top Times: 54.90/2:00.07 SCY Breaststroke; 1:52.23 SCY Individual Medley; 1:05.22/2:21.82 LCM Breaststroke
Coach DeSelm: “Austin is an up-and-coming breaststroker who will continue to improve and grow into a key role in our program. Since 2011, his times have dropped from 1:01.8 & 2:17.7 to 54.9/2:00.07 in the breaststrokes. He, too, is an outstanding student and is interested in our business school. It will be terrific to add Austin into the mix of our breaststroke training group.”
Austin Sellers: “It is an honor to be able to attend and swim for the University of North Carolina. The combination of the team, the coaching staff, and the academic opportunity made this a great choice for me. I can’t wait to be a Tar Heel!”
Jack Welker – League City, Texas: Clear Falls High School; (Coach Aubrey Estes); South Shore Sails (Coach Barbie Morris)
Top Times: 1:41.72/4:36.78 SCY Freestyle
Coach DeSelm: “Jack has Carolina in his blood as both of his parents swam at UNC. Jack has excelled academically and we look forward to him joining the team and continuing to improve.”
Jack Welker: “It wasn’t just the amazing athletics or academics that brought me here, but the community and other like-minded individuals that made Chapel Hill the place for me.”
Welkalicious.