Courtesy: Colorado State Athletics
Restocking the Moby pond, Colorado State coach Christopher Woodard announced the addition of three student-athletes for the 2024-25 seasons for the women’s swimming and diving program on Tuesday.
Carly Nelson and Addison Wicklund will be added to the lanes, while Makenna Post will help replenish the diving well for the Rams, a signing class which extends from Alaska to Arkansas. The swimmers bring success at the state and national level, as does Post for diving coach Chris Bergere.
“We are so excited about the possibilities for our newcomers as we were very selective in our recruiting process — targeting areas of need combined with finding the right mentality and personality to keep driving our team culture forward,” Woodard said. “We believe we found the right combination of student-athletes who lead by example, who don’t shy away from hard work, and will be great teammates throughout their careers.”
Carly Nelson | Fly, Free, IM | Homer, Alaska | Connections
A two-event state champion as a junior, she brought home titles in 100-yard butterfly and 500 freestyle. As a sophomore, she placed second in the 100 fly, third in the 100 free. … Ranked the third-best recruit in Alaska by SwimCloud. … She holds personal bests of 4:26.69 in the 400 individual medley, 2:04.37 in the 200 fly and 17:12.77 in the 1,650 freestyle. … Was named the 2022-23 Alaska Swimming Female Athlete of the Year. … Competes for Kachemak Swim Club. … Qualified for the Western Zone Senior Long Course Championships, placing fifth in the 100 fly, sixth in the 200 fly and 400 IM and ninth in the 400 free.
Woodard says: “We are thrilled to have Carly on board with us for the 2024 season. Her ability to swim multiple disciplines is impressive, but specifically her determination to handle some of the heavy lifting in the distance Free, IM and butterfly events will make an immediate impact on our conference lineup. Carly impressed us immediately with her humility and her toughness and is precisely the type of teammate we were looking to add to our program.”
Makenna Post | Diver | Gig Harbor, Wash. | Peninsula
Consistently improved her state placings, finishing ninth as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. … With Alpha Dive Club, has qualified for the USA Diving Region 9 Championships, AAU Junior Nationals and Zone E USA Diving Championships, where she has placed in the top 24 twice. … Holds a personal-best of 360.65 (11 dives) on the 1-meter, 312.15 (10 dives) on the 3-meter.
Bergere says: “I’m really looking forward to the continuation of Makenna’s training. She has a ton of potential and is a fine addition to the Ram family. I feel she hasn’t revealed how good she can be. Big Mak is going to get a lot better. I can’t wait to work with this talented athlete.”
Addison Wicklund | Breast, IM, FLY | Rogers, Ark. | Rogers
A three-time state champion in the 100-yard butterfly, she’s also placed third for three years 100 breaststroke. … A three-sport athlete, running cross country and track in addition to swimming in 2021. … Ranked second-best recruit in Arkansas by SwimCloud. … A member of the Razorback Aquatic Club, she’s qualified for the USA Swimming Futures meet. … She holds a personal best of 2:18.80 in the 200 breast, 2:05.43 in the 200 individual medley and a 56.17 in the 100 fly.
Woodard says: “Addison impressed us this past spring during her visit as she asked all the right questions. We knew immediately we were adding someone who is driven and focused on her goals and adding to the team dynamic. She has the ability to impact our lineup immediately in the butterfly and IM events and can provide us with a lot of punch come championship season.”