Courtesy: Columbia Athletics
NEW YORK — The Columbia women’s swimming and diving team has added 11 fresh faces to the roster for the 2020-21 season, head coach Diana Caskey announced Friday. The class includes 10 swimmers, Emma Babashak, Callie Breiter, Aniston Eyre, Aziza Ganihanova, Elif Ozyurekoglu, Jazlynn Pak, Mia Saenger, Allegra Walker, Carly Yasko and Georgia Young, and one diver, Alice Diakova.
“I am very excited to welcome the class of 2024 to Columbia, albeit virtually for the moment,” said Columbia head coach Diana Caskey. “They are a talented and spirited group who will make an immediate impact on our competitive ability, as well as on our overall team outlook. They are already showing their resilience and grit with their individual and collective response to all of the recent disappointments, and most recent finding that they will not be on campus this fall. I can’t wait to have them training and racing in Percy Uris!”
“We are so excited to have Alice joining the Columbia swimming and diving family,” added diving coach Scott Donie. “She is super talented and we expect her to have a major, and immediate impact.”
More information on the incoming class can be found below, while fans can access the full 2020-21 roster here.
Emma Babashak
Wilton, Conn. – Wilton High School
Freestyle/Butterfly
Four-year varsity letter winner for the Wilton Warriors … Set school records in the 100 fly and 400 free relay … 2019 team captain … Won a trio of state titles in 2019 including the 100 fly, 500 free and 200 medley relay … Three-time CSI Scholar-Athlete … FCIAC Exemplary Scholar-Athlete Award … Five-time Class L All-State honoree … Swam club for Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club … Was a member of the top-ranked Wilton symphonic and concert orchestras … Valedictorian … National Merit Commended Scholar … Recipient of the CHSCA State Scholar Athlete Award for Girls Swimming and Diving … Daughter of James and Kara Babashak … Both parents are Cornell graduates … Has one brother, Daniel … Enrolled in Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences … Intends to study operations research … Has played cello for nine years.
Callie Breiter
Lincoln, Mass. – Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
Freestyle
Swam club for Charles River Aquatics … Swam one season for Lincoln-Sudbury and earned a varsity letter in 2017-18 … 2019 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American … Parents are Christina and Hans Breiter … Has three older brothers: Henry, Charlie and Max … Has deep Ivy League roots, including grandfather Hank Reiling ’65LAW who worked for the Columbia Business School from 1964-76 … Mother played tennis and swam at Vassar College … Enrolled in Columbia College.
Alice Diakova
Rochester, N.Y. – Brighton High School
Diving
2020 All-American … 2019 New York State Girls Diving champion … Named to 2019 All-Greater Rochester Girls Swim Team … 2020 Brighton High School Senior Women’s Scholar-Athlete Award … Competed for Upstate NY Diving club … Recipient of XEROX Award for Innovation and Information Technology in 2019 … 2019 Rochester Institute of Technology Computing medal … Volunteer for the Jewish Home of Rochester and Brighton Town Clean Sweep … Daughter of Irina Diakova and Igor Diakov … Has one brother, Alan … Enrolled in Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science … Intends to study computer science.
Aniston Eyre
Makawao, Hawaii – King Kekaulike High School
Freestyle
Four-year varsity swimming letter winner at King Kekaulike … Helped the team earned the 2020 Maui Interscholastic League Swimming and Diving Championship as well as finishing runner-up at the HHSA championships … Also earned three letters in water polo and one in bowling … Four-time KKHS All-Academic first team … Named KKHS Female Athlete of the Year as a senior … 2018 & 2019 Maui Female Swimmer of the Year … 2016-19 Maui First All-Star Team … 2017 & 2019 State First All-Star Team … Student Senate and Student Government member … Graduated Summa Cum Laude … Valedictorian … Parents are Aja and Jonah Eyre … Has four younger siblings: Camden, Elsie, Poem and Ezra … Has Ivy League roots as mother is a Harvard graduate … Enrolled in Columbia College.
Aziza Ganihanova
Annandale, N.J. – North Hunterdon High School
Freestyle/Backstroke
Three-time Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex County MVP … Three-time Skyland Conference MVP … Helped the North Hunterdon Lions to back-to-back H/W/S County titles in 2018 and 2019 … 2017 Sectional Champs … 2017 and 2019 North MVP Award … Also swam club for Somerset Valley YMCA … School Smart Award recipient … Graduated with high honors … Daughter of Zulfia Babadjanova and Feruz Ganihanova … Has one sister, Kamila … Enrolled in Columbia College … Plans to study financial economics … Speaks Russian fluently.
Elif Ozyurekoglu
Louisville, Ky. – duPont Manual High School
Backstroke/Butterfly/Freestyle
Four-time All-Region Team … Nine-Time State finalist … 2020 USA Swimming Academic All-American … Also swam club for Lakeside Seahawks … Member of Student Senate … National Honor Society … Key Club … Mayoral Re-Election Campaign member … Also trained with Fenerbahce Swim Club in Istanbul in 2019 … 2019 Turkish national finalist in the 100m butterfly, 50m backstroke and 100m backstroke … Named the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2020 … duPont Manual Valedictorian … Published in “The Orthopedist,” an international, open-access, peer-reviewed journal … 2018, 2019 U.S Navy Office of Naval Research Naval Science Award … Parents are Mesude and Tuna Ozyurekoglu … Has one sibling, Melis … Enrolled in Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science … Plans to study biomedical engineering.
Jazlynn Pak
Bothell, Wash. – North Creek High School
Butterfly/Freestyle
Philippine Junior National Team member … Represented the Philippines at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, taking fifth in the 50m butterfly … Three-year varsity letter winner at North Creek … Member of the school record 200 free, 200 medley and 400 free relay teams … Also competed for Bellevue Club Swim Team … Two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American … Korean Culture Club founding member and Co-President … Member of National Honor Society … Daughter of Leslie and Jong Pak … Has one younger brother, Joshua … Enrolled in Columbia College … Plans to study biology.
Mia Saenger
Eugene, Ore. – South Eugene High School
Backstroke/Freestyle
2019 NISCA All-American … 2018 and 2019 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American … Set 27 club records for Team Eugene Aquatics … First female swimmer from Eugene to qualify for USA Swimming Winter Junior Nationals Championships in more than 20 years (2017, 2018, 2019) … AP Scholar with Honors … National Merit Commended Scholar … Student Government ASB Officer … Varsity Speech and Debate team member from 2013-19 … Parents are Sawa Saenger ’94GSAPP and David Saenger … Has two siblings, Leo and Naomi … Enrolled in Columbia College.
Allegra Walker
Dunbarton, N.H. – Virtual Learning Academy Charter School
Breaststroke
Swam for Executive Swim Club … 2018 New England Senior Championships 200-yard breast title … 2018 and 2019 Winter Junior Nationals Qualifier … 2019 Summer Junior Nationals Qualifier … New England record holder in 15-18 and open 200-yard medley relay … 2018 and 2019 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American … AP Scholar with Distinction … 4.0 GPA … Daughter of Maya and Phillip Walker … Has three siblings: Sophia, Isaac and twin sister Grace … Strong Ivy League ties as father earned a law degree from Cornell, mother earned her master’s from Harvard, and brother, Isaac, was a lightweight rower and earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard in 2019 … Enrolled in Columbia College … Has written multiple full-length novels.
Carly Yasko
Newport Beach, Calif. – Newport Harbor High School
Freestyle
2017 and 2018 All-American … Four year varsity letter winner for the Newport Harbor Sailors … Helped set a trio of Newport Harbor relay records in 2018 … Recorded Sunset League records in both the 200 medley and 400 free relays … 2017, 2018 & 2019 Newport Harbor Scholar-Athlete … Also swam club for Irvine Novaquatics … Valedictorian … Parents are Victoria and John Yasko III … Has two older siblings, Kate and Drew … Enrolled in Columbia College … Plans to study financial economics … Enjoys surfing.
Georgia Young
Santa Monica, Calif. – Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences
Freestyle
Two-time captain and four-year varsity letter winner at Crossroads School … Roadrunners’ individual record holder in the 100 back, 100 fly, 200 IM and 200 free … Finaled six times at CIF Southern DIII Section Championship meets and qualified twice for the CIF State Championship … Also swam club for Alpha Aquatics … 2020 CIF Academic Champion … Daughter of Julie and Mark Young … Father swam at UCLA … Has one brother, Luke …Enrolled in Columbia College.
For the latest on the Columbia women’s swimming and diving program, follow @CULionsWSD on Twitter and Instagram, @CULionsDiving on Instagram and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.