MILWAUKEE – Eight former high school seniors have all signed their papers and are set to join the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee swimming & diving teams, head coach Kyle Clements announced today.
Emma Helgeson of Skokie, Ill.; Cassidy Pilo of Sussex, Wis.; Kira Pless of Green Bay, Wis.; Shelby Rozeboom of Mount Horeb, Wis.; Kendra Wulf of Rockford, Ill.; Jake Barson of Arlington Heights, Ill.; Anthony Kolbus of South Bend, Ind.; and Dane Van Allen of Nevada, Iowa have all signed their National Letters of Intent and are set to join the Panthers this fall.
“Once again I am pleased to introduce another great class of incoming Panthers,” Clements said. “Each one of these individuals brings a skill set that is very important to the future of our program. All of these individuals possess the ability to affect dual meets, championship meets, and our overall academic performance immediately. When you couple these individuals with our early signing class and our current roster, it makes the future of the Panther program very bright.”
Helgeson comes to Milwaukee after four solid years at Niles North High School in the northern suburbs of Chicago. She earned trips to state in multiple events both as a junior and senior, and was a sectional champ in the 100 free as a junior despite being ranked fourth in the event heading into that meet.
“Emma was the prefect addition to our program in more ways than one,” Clements said. “She is a tremendous young lady, a great student, and her athletic talent fills a big need in our middle distance group. She will be put in our lineup immediately, and we know that she will shine in it. I can see this young lady being a real bright spot in our roster and a great ambassador for our university.”
Pilo is a standout diver who is relatively new to the sport. An avid gymnast from an early age, Pilo made a smooth transition to the pool in high school and hasn’t looked back. She won a conference and sectional title as a senior and placed fourth at the Wisconsin state meet each of the past two years for the Menomonee Falls/Hamilton team.
“Cassidy joins our diving team after two top-four showings at the Division I state meet each of the last two years,” Clements said. “She has an extensive background as a high level gymnast, as well as diving for one of the best high school diving coaches in the area. I am confident that Cassidy will have an immediate impact on our team. I am very excited to have Cassidy as Panther diver next season.”
Pless joins the Panthers ranked as one of the top swimmers in the state of Wisconsin this past year. The distance specialist finished on the podium in the 500 free each of her first three years at the Wisconsin state meet, and also earned a state berth in the 200 free as a junior.
“Kira is another one of those individuals that I cannot wait to get to campus,” Clements said. “She has the greatest upside of all the incomers. The Horizon League is very competitive in distance events, and Kira has the talents to make a real impact. She will have a lot of work to do, but with the right training and right attitude, Kira will do great.”
Hailing from Mount Horeb, Wis., Rozeboom has established herself as one of the top sprinters in the state. Ranked as the 23rd best swimmer in Wisconsin by CollegeSwimming.com, Rozeboom has qualified for state a whopping 13 times over her four-year career. She won a pair of state titles and has helped establish her high school team as one of the tops in state over the past four years.
“For a team to be competitive year in and year out, they need athletes on their roster like Shelby,” Clements said. “Shelby’s sprinting skills have the ability to really impact the outcome of meets. Her skills can affect, not only individual races, but relays, as well. She will have a big role to fill right away with the departure of our graduating seniors. I am looking forward to getting Shelby here and really rounding out her events.”
Wulf rounds out a very talented incoming diving group for the Panthers. The former Hononegah High School standout made a trip to the Illinois state meet each of her final three years and graduates with numerous conference, school and pool records to her name.
“Kendra comes to UWM as a three-time ISHA state qualifier,” Clements said. “She is a very talented, hard-working individual who I believe will excel in our diving system. I am excited to have her on the team and she is a great addition to our diving program.”
One of the top swimmers in the state of Illinois, Barson is the first of three men to join Milwaukee during the later signing period. Ranked 26th in the state, Barson helped raise the bar at Rolling Meadows High School, graduating with two school records and a host of trophies and medals. He also won the Spirit of Sportsmanship Award by the Daily Herald following his strong senior campaign.
“Jake is an immediate scorer for our program,” Clements said. “He had a tremendous senior year and is on pace to be one of the best breastrokers to go through our program. I am really looking forward to surrounding him with our current breaststroke group. They are an experienced group that Jake will be able to learn from, and in turn Jake will help push them and the group to another level.”
Kolbus joins UWM after an incredible senior season at St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend, Ind. Kolbus competed in an impressive five events at state as a senior, just one week after winning two sectional titles and coming in runner-up once.
“Anthony is a very important addition to Milwaukee,” Clements said. “He brings an event lineup that you don’t often see in high school swimmers. A lot of swimmers have a skill set based on one or two strokes. Anthony can swim a number of different events and score points in all of them. I am really looking forward to getting him here and really exploring all of his talents. His name is one that you will see a lot of in the upcoming years.”
Van Allen rounds out this year’s outstanding class. The latest product of Ames High School, Van Allen capped his high school career with a phenomenal showing at the state meet. The ninth-ranked swimmer in the entire state of Iowa, Van Allen took home a silver medal in the 500 free despite swimming in the slowest heat. He also finished sixth in the 200 free and competed in the 200 free relay at state as a senior.
“I couldn’t be happier about Dane joining our team,” Clements said. “Our meet lineup is able to become so dynamic with him on the roster. He will be put in the distance group that currently has our 500, 1000 and 1650 record holders that are all seniors, and after a year of training with those men, he will be set up to become our distance swimmer of the future.”
Swimming news courtesy of University of Wisconsin