BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech swimming and diving head coach Ned Skinner and staff have announced the signing of 22 student-athletes to join the Hokies for the fall.
The signing class hails from 10 different states and Canada, with 10 athletes from the state of Virginia. The class will join a program that had its men’s and women’s programs both finish in the top 25 at the 2016 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Aaron Boyd joins Tech from Annandale, Va. and swam for The Fish. He has posted a 20.71 in the 50 free, 45.20 in the 100 free, 1:43.41 in the 200 free and a 51.83 in the 100 fly.
“Aaron is an extremely talented multi-sport athlete who is just beginning to scratch the surface of his true potential. He has the ability to leave Virginia Tech as one of the best sprinters to have come through our doors,” said Skinner.
Hassler Carroll is from Cincinnati, Ohio and swam for M.E. Lyons and Anderson Barracudas. He’s posted a 1:38.36 in the 200 free, 4:26.03 in the 500 free and 15:43.02 in the 1,650 free. He has also posted a 1:49.67 in the 200 fly, a 1:51.77 in the 200 IM and 3:58.39 in the 400 IM.
“Hassler is the 5th ranked recruit out of the state of Ohio. A State Champion, he has proven himself extremely versatile and will immediately become a factor for the Hokies. His upward trend this past season shows that the future is extremely bright for this young man,” said Skinner.
Brandon Fabian is from Fairfax Station, Va. and swam club for the Nations Capital Swim club. He swam a 45.61 in the 100 free, 1:39.52 in the 200 free and a 4:26.36 in the 500 free. He’s also swam the 100 fly and posted a 50.43.
“We are extremely excited about what the future holds for Brandon. He is a very dedicated young man who hasn’t even scratched the surface on what he’s capable of. Brandon will be an immediate factor in our lineup and within our relays,” said Skinner.
Collin Fiala is from Chantilly, Va. and swam for the York Swim Club. He has posted a 20.85 in the 50 free and a 47.88 in the 100 free. Collin is the younger brother of current Tech All-AmericanBrandon Fiala.
“Collin makes it 3-for-3 for the Fiala men. We have had a rich history with his family and are
looking forward to all that he will accomplish during his time at Virginia Tech. His size and
athletic ability will make him an invaluable addition to our men’s program,” said Skinner.
David Herbert hails from Annandale, Va. where he competed for Machine Aquatics. In the 50 free, he’s posted a 20.90 and in the 100 free he’s posted a 45.97. He’s also swam the 200 free in a time of 1:41.58.
“David is a swimmer with a huge upside! He is coming off of a season that saw him go all best times in his primary events. His size and stroke will enable him to truly take his swimming to the
next level. We expect David to be an impact player for us on relays and in the sprint events,” said Skinner.
Colin Murphy comes to Tech from The Woodlands, Texas where he competed for The Woodlands Swim Team. He competes in the free style having posted times of 1:38.90 in the 200 free, 4:24.99 in the 500 free, 9:06.86 in the 1,000 free and 15:21.32 in the 1,650 free.
“Colin is the type of gifted swimmer that will make an immediate impact within our program. He has the mindset to be great both in the pool and in the classroom and that gravitated us toward him. Colin has qualified for the 2016 US Olympic Trials and is in scoring position in multiple events at the ACC level. We could not be happier with his decision to wear maroon and orange,” said Skinner.
Cooper Pitts is from Mount Pleasant, S.C. and swam for the LTP Racing club. He competes in the breaststroke and backstroke. He has posted a time of 51.00 seconds in the 100 back and 1:50.96 in the 200 back. He’s also swam a 57.14 in the 100 breast and 2:03.44 in the 200 breast.
“Before we even knew who he was our staff was attracted to Cooper’s size. He has the look and
feel of an elite ACC swimmer. Cooper has an incredible family that understands the value of
mixing elite academics with elite swimming. We cannot wait to get him pumping within our
system,” said Skinner.
Nicholas Schwegel joins from Carrollton, Va. where he swam for South eastern Virginia Aquatics. He swam a 1:40.32 in the 200 free, a 4:31.64 in the 500 free, a 1:51.15 in the 200 back, a 1:50.21 in the 200 fly, a 1:52.47 in the 200 IM and a 3:57.08 in the 400 IM.
“There are certain instances when you immediately know that you’re talking to a Hokie. From the first conversation we knew that Nick had all that we were looking for both in the classroom and pool. We can’t wait to see all that he accomplishes during his time at Virginia Tech,” said Skinner.
Simon Shi hails from Leesburg, Va. where he swam for the Nations Capital Swim Club with fellow signee Fabian. He competes in the breaststroke, fly and individual medley. He’s posted a 55.46 and a 2:01.34 in the 100 and 200 breast, respectively. He’s swam a 49.67 in the 100 fly and a 1:49.56 in the 200 fly. In the 200 IM, he’s swam a 1:50.44 and in the 400 IM a 3:56.76.
“We knew from day one that Simon needed to be at Virginia Tech. One of the most versatile
swimmers in the state of Virginia, Simon will make an impact for the Hokies wherever the team needs him,” said Skinner.
Jenna Beatti joins the team from Williamsburg, Va. where she swam for the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins. She swims freestyle and has posted times of 1:51.26 in the 200 free, 4:51.74 in the 500 free, 10:04.73 in the 1,000 free and 16:52.19 in the 1,650 free.
“Jenna is one of the top female swimmers coming out of the state of Virginia. She is coming off of a tremendous senior season where she saw huge time drops across the board. We will look for her to immediately contribute at the ACC level,” sad Skinner.
Jessica Beatti, Jenna’s twin sister, also joins from Williamsburg and the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins. Jessica swims the back, fly and IM. She has posted a 2:05.99 in the 200 back, 57.74 in the 100 fly, 2:08.76 in the 200 fly, 2:08.15 in the 200 IM and 4:27.56 in the 400 IM.
“Jessica like her twin sister hails from Virginia and will look to help in the stroke and IM events. We look forward to watching Jessica continue to ride the wave of momentum she created this season,” said Skinner.
Baillie Cameron comes to Tech from Burlington, Ontario, Canada where she swam for Mississauga Aquatic Club. She’s swam a 1:02.92 in the 100 breast, a 2:17.47 in the 200 breast, a 24.35 in the 50 free and a 52.71 in the 100 free.
“Upon graduating some of our top breastrokers in program history, we knew that we had our hands full in finding their replacements. As soon as we saw Baillie race, we knew that she was a gamer! Baillie comes in ready to help us at the ACC and NCAA levels,” said Skinner.
Carolina Dejager joins the Hokies from Williamsburg, Va. where she swam for the 757. She has posted a time of 1:05.53 in the 100 breast and a 2:21.96 in the 200 breast.
“Caroline comes to us from the fast rising program of 757 Swim. Her outgoing demeanor and
work ethic will take her far within our stroke group. We will look to Caroline to add depth to our breaststroke events,” said Skinner.
Miranda Eberle is a diver from Saline, Mich. where she dove for Legacy Dive Club. She has been a multi-Junior National Qualifier and a three-time high school All-American.
“I feel that Miranda has tremendous potential as an athlete and I feel she will add immediate depth to the women’s diving squad. Her personality and work eithic will be a great fit for the H20kies,” said head diving coach Ron Piemonte.
Chloe Hicks joins from Centreville, Va. and Machine Aquatics. She has posted times of 51.28 in the 100 free, 1:50.58 in the 200 free, 54.90 in the 100 back and 1:58.79 and 200 back.
“Chloe was our first female commitment out of the class of 2016. We knew from day one that the Virginia native was a Hokie and that she was going to go extremely far in the sport. Chloe has gone on to qualify for the 2016 US Olympic Trials and has put up times that will score in multiple events at the ACC level,” sad Skinner.
Sydney Kirsch comes to Tech from Kensington, Md. where she swam for Rockville Montgomery Swim Club. She swam a 23.75 in the 50 free, 51.51 in the 100 free and a 57.14 in the 100 fly.
“After watching Sydney race we immediately knew that she was going to have a great senior season and beyond. She has the strength and speed to help add depth to our growing spring group! The future is extremely bright for Sydney,” said Skinner.
Grace Kowal joins Tech from Philadelphia, Pa. where she swam for the Jersey Wahoos. She swims free and has posted times of 1:52.52 in the 200 free, 4:55.48 in the 500 free, 10:04.30 in the 1,000 free and 16:40.21 in the 1,650 free.
“Grace has enjoyed what many would call a breakout season. She saw massive time drops
across the board and finds herself already in scoring position at the ACC Championships. We look forward to watching Grace continue to develop into a National level athlete throughout her time in Blacksburg,” said Skinner.
Eleanor Matheson joins the Hokies from Northglenn, Colo. Where she swam for Flatiron. She’s posted times of 23.46 in the 50 free, 51.43 in the 100 free, 1:51,26 in the 200 free, 4:51.63 in the 500 free, 9:56.59 in the 1,000 free and 16:46.06 in the 1,650 free. She’s also had times of 2:01.39 in the 200 back, 2:00.18 in the 200 fly, 2:02.67 in the 200 IM and 4:20.17 in the 400 IM.
“Eleanor comes to us out of the state of Colorado as the top ranked women’s recruit. Ever
versatile, she has qualified for the US Olympic Trials in two events and is in scoring position in 4
different events at the ACC level. We will look to Eleanor to fill many different roles on our team,” said Skinner.
Kayla Purcell comes to Tech from Millington, N.J. where she swam for Somerset Hills YMCA. She’s swam a 23.69 in the 50 free, 51.40 in the 100 free, 56.82 in the 100 back and 2:04.13 in the 200 back. She’s also posted a time of 56.68 in the 100 fly.
“Kayla’s a sprint specialist and we will look to Kayla to immediately contribute on relays and in multiple individual events. Seeing Kayla’s length and watching her stroke mechanics, it became instantly apparent that the future will be extremely bright for her,” said Skinner.
Margarita Ryan hails from Sandy Spring, Md. where she swam for Rockville Montgomery Swim Club. She has posted times of 52.36 in the 100 free, 1:52.57 in the 200 free, 55.84 in the 100 back, 2:02.50 in the 200 back and 56.50 in the 100 fly.
“Margarita comes to us as the 12th ranked recruit out of the state of Maryland. A legacy of Virginia Tech, it quickly became apparent to us that she would leave her mark on our program
not only as an accomplished swimmer but more so as a quality individual. We can’t wait to see
all that Margarita accomplishes,” said Skinner.
Erin Scott joins Tech from Lilburn, Ga. where she competed for SwimAtlanta. She competes in breaststroke and has posted times of 29.93 in the 50 breast, 1:03.86 in the 100 breast and 2:20.07 in the 200 breast.
“We reached into the state of Georgia to grab Erin. A breaststroke specialist we will look for her to help bolster what has been one of the strongest stroke groups not only at Virginia Tech but in the ACC as a whole,” said Skinner.
Hannah Wilding is from Pittsburgh, Pa. where she competed for Upper Saint Clair High School. She has posted times of 54.93 in the 100 free, 58.09 in the 100 back and 58.04 in the 100 fly.
“Hannah has grown up a Hokie. Relatively new to year-round-swimming Hannah has seen rapid
improvement in many different events. We will look for her to contribute within our stroke group and in the classroom,” said Skinner.
Swimming news courtesy of Virginia Tech Swimming & Diving.