Maya Dirado, Micah Lawrence & Shannon Vreeland Sign With Speedo USA

SPEEDO USA, a division of PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH), today announced that individual medley standout Maya DiRado, breaststroke specialist Micah Lawrence, and Olympic gold medalist Shannon Vreeland will join Team Speedo, marking the start of their professional swimming careers. The three swimmers, all rising stars for the U.S., will represent Speedo – and train and compete in the brand’s cutting-edge gear – through 2016.

“Team Speedo is pleased to announce the addition of these three talented swimmers,” said Jim Gerson, President of SPEEDO USA. “Maya, Micah and Shannon are already very accomplished swimmers in their respective specialties. We see great things in their futures and we are proud to partner with each of them on the road to Rio and beyond.”

DiRado, a versatile 21-year-old swimmer from Santa Rosa, Calif., narrowly missed the London Games finishing fourth in both the 200m and 400m individual medleys at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. In 2013, she made her mark on the international stage as part of the gold medal-winning 800m free relay at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona. A recent graduate of Stanford University, DiRado had a stellar collegiate swim career, earning two NCAA Championship titles this year in the 200m and 400m individual medleys. She will continue to train at Stanford as part of Stanford Aquatics.

Maya Dirado at 2013 Golden Goggles (courtesy of Melissa Lundie, melissalundie.com)

“I’m really proud of my collegiate swim career and am very exciting to now turn pro,” said DiRado. “My eyes are set on Rio and I’m so glad to have Speedo, the industry leader, as a partner while I work to attain my goals.”

Lawrence, a breaststroker from Pflugerville, Texas, qualified for the 2012 Olympic team by finishing second in the 200m breast at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. At the 2013 FINA World Championships, she earned a bronze medal in the 200m breast. The 23-year-old Queens University graduate currently lives in Charlotte, N.C. and trains with now-fellow Team Speedo swimmers Ryan Lochte and Cullen Jones under long-time Speedo Advisory Coach David Marsh as part of the SwimMAC team at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center.

“I’m so honored to be joining my training partners as part of Team Speedo,” said Lawrence. “Ryan and Cullen have shown me what can be achieved with the brand’s backing, and I’m excited to be on board.”

Georgia Senior Shannon Vreeland and Sr. Associate Head Coach Harvey Humphries take a selfie to commemorate their 2014 victory and a stellar college career at the 2014 Women’s NCAA DI Championships (courtesy of Tim Binning)

Vreeland, rising freestyle star from Overland Park, Kan., made her Olympic debut in London as part of the 800m free relay team, winning gold and setting a new Olympic record (7:42.92) in the thrilling final. She qualified for the 2012 Olympic team by placing fifth in the 200m free at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Now a key member of the U.S. relay squad, Vreeland also won gold medals in all three relays at the 2013 FINA World Championships. The 22-year-old recently graduated from the University of Georgia where she had a strong collegiate career for the Bulldogs. She’ll continue to train in Athens under decorated coach Jack Bauerle.

“I am really excited to be a part of the Speedo family,” said Vreeland. “Having the brand’s vote of confidence as I start my professional career means so much.”

DiRado, Lawrence and Vreeland join a highly decorated group of Team Speedo swimmers, including the recently announced Elizabeth Beisel (USA) and Natalie Coughlin (USA), Ryan Lochte (USA), Conor Dwyer (USA), Nathan Adrian (USA), Cullen Jones (USA), Jessica Hardy (USA), Tyler Clary (USA), Ryan Cochrane (CAN), Christian Sprenger (AUS), Alicia Coutts (AUS), Florent Manaudou (FRA), Mireia Belmonte (ESP), Thiago Pereira (BRA), Michael Jamieson (GBR), Melanie Costa Schmid (ESP), Alia Atkinson (JAM), Jiao Liuyang (CHN), and more.

Speedo is a registered trademark of and used under license from Speedo International Ltd. Warnaco Swimwear, Inc., a subsidiary of PVH that does business as Speedo USA, holds the exclusive license from Speedo International Ltd in North America and the Caribbean.

Swimming News courtesy of Speedo USA, a SwimSwam partner.