Mount Pleasant Swim Club’s Emma Gourdie is early to commit for the 2016-2017 freshman class, announcing her verbal commitment to swim for James Madison University in the fall of 2016.
Gourdie is currently a junior majoring in piano at Charleston Country School of the Arts. Gourdie will be attending James Madison University in order to major in education. The program is for five years, where she’ll come out of it with a masters degree.
Gourdie specializes in the medleys and backstrokes, however also swims some very solid freestyle events.
Right away she would fit into the program, being one of the top swimmers on the roster. Her personal best of 24.28 in the 50 free would have ranked her third out of all JMU girls, likely giving her a relay spot come 2016.
Her 100 would have ranked second amongst JMU girls, giving her another potential relay swim.
Other than relays it seems she can fill in some gaps in the middle-distance and distance freestyle events. She would have been the fastest JMU girl in the 200 through 1650 freestyles. Her backstrokes will also be of huge benefit to the team, boasting a 56.91 in the 100 and a 2:01.31 in the 200.
Her medley swims are well ahead of what anyone else on JMU is doing, meaning that she’ll likely be competing in those events as well. She’ll be very competitive in the program right from the get-go, and will be challenging others in her program to heightened results.
“It’s important for me that both my academic and athletic goals are met and JMU seems to be a place where this can happen,” said Gourdie. “ When I visited the college, I immediately felt welcomed by the swim team. The coaches nurture a healthy balance between academics and swimming and they are very supportive of their athletes.”
At the Mount Pleasant Swim Club Gourdie already holds 11 club records.
Already it looks as though she’ll be a star at the Colonial Athletic Association conference meet that the JMU team competes at.
Gourdie looks as though she’ll be able to pick up plenty of points. She would have earned a spot on the ‘A’ final of the 400m IM at this year’s CAA Championships with her current time. In her other events, she would have been just on the cusp.
Lena Hayakawa, a senior at Mid-Pacific Institute (Kamehameha Swim Club) in Hawaii,
has signed a National Letter of Intent to swim for Tulane University beginning in the fall of 2015.
Her best times:
100 Fly (SCY) – 56.35
200 Fly (SCY) – 2:01.16
200 Free (SCY) – 1:50.89r
100 Free (SCY) – 51.82r
200 IM (SCY) – 2:05.34
400 IM (SCY) – 4:25.92
50 Free (SCY) – 24.10r
500 Free (SCY) – 4:56.77
1650 Free (SCY) – 17:14.47
[College swimming.com]
A standout at the Mid-Pacific Institute and star with the Kamehameha Swim Club, Hayakawa signed with the Green Wave after posting top times of 1:03.97 in the 100 breast… Read more »
Congratulations, Emma! Go Dukes!
Sounds like a great asset to an already great group of girls!
Question, where were the top times from JMU’s girls found?