Courtesy: TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU swimming and diving added 10 student-athletes to its women’s roster for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
The Horned Frogs signees include Faith Harms-Zacharias, Marlene Hirschberg, Lisa Johnson, Graciela Liang, Abigail Meder, Hannah Morris, Lucia Simovicova, Zoe Woods, Morgan Despres and Sheridan Schreiber.
“The staff and I are very excited to welcome our first new recruiting class,” head swimming coach James Winchester said. “As we went through the recruiting process, it was evident that we were looking for a particular type of student-athlete that would buy into our vision for the program. Whether it was close to home or across the world, we found students who were committed to their academics while also looking for a world class athletic experience.”
Eight of the 10 girls will compete in swimming events. Harms-Zacharias and Liang will compete in diving.
Harms-Zacharias is a two time Pan-American finalist and multi event national champion, competing on the national and international stages. “Faith brings a wealth of experience competing with the best of the best,” head diving coach Anthony Crowder said. “She’s full of passion and drive to compete at the highest levels. We’re expecting there to be no limits on her success and are excited to work with and welcome Faith Harms-Zacharias to the Frog Fam.”
Hirschberg, a native of Germany, was a short course junior national champion and has all the skills to make a quick impact on the record boards at TCU. “It’s a great pleasure to welcome Marlene to Funkytown,” head swimming coach James Winchester said. “Her personality and work ethic will make her an instant favorite with her teammates and we look forward to seeing her have much success at the Big 12 and national level.
Johnson has been praised for her personality and work ethic. “Lisa is full of funk and spirit,” Winchester said. “She’s the type of girl everyone wants on their team. With her effort and attitude, nothing will stand in the way of her goals. We are excited to see Lisa’s future as part of our Horned Frog Family.”
Liang is still in the early stages of her diving career. “She’s working fiercely day in and day out,” head diving coach Anthony Crowder said. “Gracie comes to TCU ready to work hard and play harder. Her effort and attitude will show leaps and bounds in her diving and we couldn’t be more excited to have another TCU honors college student-athlete joining our family. Big things to come in both the classroom and in the pool. Welcome to the Frog Fam, Gracie.”
Meder joins TCU from South Africa primarily as a distance and Open Water swimmer, recently selected to compete in the Open Water World Championships in South Korea. “She’s a fierce competitor who maintains a strong sense of sportsmanship and integrity,” Winchester said. “She’s looking to embrace our team outlook of excellence in both the pool and the classroom, and is clearly willing to put in the work and sacrifice to achieve that. Abi is a truly thrilling addition to the Frog Fam.”
Morris is expected to add depth to the Backstroke and IM events. “We look forward to seeing her develop here at TCU,” Winchester said. “Coming from a strong Nu Wave program in New Orleans, Hannah should follow a strong history of Nu Wave swimmers who have continued to succeed academically and athletically in college. We are thrilled to welcome Hannah to Funkytown.”
Simovicova is a strong sprint freestyler and butterflyer who competed at the World Junior Championships. “From the moment the recruiting process began with Lucia, I had a really strong feeling that we would be a perfect fit for each other,” Winchester said. “She’s an incredible student and swimmer who is primed to develop. Lucia will have the opportunity to quickly make an impact for TCU. We look forward to helping her achieve her goals here at TCU and at the NCAA and International levels.”
Woods comes to TCU as a backstroker but could see time in other events. “Zoe was a great find for us and our team,” Winchester said. “She’s a hard worker who’s extremely down-to-earth. She naturally embodies our program pillars of effort and attitude. Although initially we saw her as a backstroker, she’s been rapidly improving across multiple events and looks to make a broad impact on our team and process as we move forward together. We couldn’t be more excited to have a young lady of Zoe’s integrity and character join the Frog Fam in 2019.”
Despres transfers to TCU after spending her freshman season at East Carolina University. “Morgan will add a lot of competition to our sprint Freestyle events and should make a good run on being on our Big 12 relays immediately,” Winchester said. “We love her personality and she will add as much to our culture as she will through her development in the pool.”
Schreiber transfers to TCU from Arizona State. “Sheridan had a good freshman year at Arizona State, making finals at the PAC-12 Championships,” Winchester said. “She comes to us here at TCU with the opportunity to make a major impact at the Big 12 level. An elite level breaststroker, Sheridan was looking for a world class academic experience to go with a world class athletic experience. We are humbled that she believes TCU is the place for her dreams. Welcome, Sheridan.”