Courtesy: Minnesota Athletics
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota swimming and diving teams have chosen their captains for the 2024-25 season, head coach Kelly Kremer announced Friday.
Fifth-year senior-to-be Kaiser Neverman has been tabbed a captain for the second year in a row, and he is joined by fellow fifth-year Casey Stowe and senior Tommy McCarthy. The women’s squad has named Paula Rodriguez Rivero as team captain for the second straight year, along with senior Eliot Kennedy. The diving team captain for 2024-25 is senior Kate LaMonica.
A Green Bay, Wis. native, Neverman is looking to continue a standout career at Minnesota. He currently holds four school records, two of which he set at the 2024 Big Ten Championships. His individual records include the 200 fly (1:42.47) and 200 IM (1:42.75), while his relay records include the 800 free and 200 medley.
Neverman also set personal records in the 100 free (43.17) and 100 breast (52.80) last season and was the recipient of the W.I.N Award at the team banquet.
Stowe and McCarthy are both captains for the first time. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Stowe holds the record for the 200 medley relay and set a new personal record in the 50 free (19.98) last season. McCarthy had a record year in 2023-24, setting new PRs in five events.
A fifth-year senior from Gran Canaria, Spain, Rodriguez Rivero will return as a team captain in 2024-25. The Academic All-Big Ten honoree currently ranks in the top five in school history in both the 100 backstroke (52.78) and 200 backstroke (1:54.59).
At the team banquet, Rodriguez Rivero was named the Iron Fish for her dedication to performance training, and won the Dorothy L. Sheppard Award given to a female student-athlete who values the science of swimming, international awareness and travel, and a competitive educational experience.
Eliot Kennedy was named most improved at the team banquet after reaching the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career. The senior-to-be from Bloomington, Ill. currently ranks sixth in team history for the 1000 free (9:40.52), eighth in the 1650 free (16:08.59) and 14th in the 500 free (4:44.15).
Kate LaMonica will get her first nod as team captain in 2024-25 for the diving team. LaMonica was honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship award last season at the Big Ten Championships. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, LaMonica also was named the team’s Iron Fish and an Outstanding Student-Athlete award winner at the team banquet.