The Georgia Tech women had just one woman go faster than 5 minutes in the 500 freestyle last season (junior Chiara Ruiu – 4:57.36), but now have added two more in their high school class of 2016 alone.
Emily Ilgenfritz from the York YMCA and Lindsay Wallace from the Aiken-Augusta Swim League both announced verbal commitments to the Yellow Jackets this week, and will expect to be teammates next fall.
Ilgenfritz, who tends toward the longer events, has a best of 4:52.29 in the 500 free, done at the YMCA Junior National Championships during her freshman year of high school. Wallace, who tends toward the sprint freestyles more, has a best of 4:57.78 in the event, done in March of her junior year.
While Ilgenfritz’s distance freestyle times have stalled out, during her junior season she became much more versatile.
Ilgenfritz’s best times in yards. (*) Asterisk indicates best time as a junior
- 50 free – 24.35
- 100 free – 52.45*
- 200 free – 1:50.80*
- 500 free – 4:52.29
- 1000 free – 10:09.66
- 1650 free – 17:01.44
- 100 fly – 56.13*
- 200 fly – 2:02.44*
Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets will graduate their two fastest 100 yard freestylers after next season (Ruiu and Danielle Cowley), and that will make Wallace’s secondary events quite valuable for the Yellow Jacket relays as well.
Wallace’s best times in yards. (*) Asterisk indicates best time as a junior
- 50 free – 23.74*
- 100 free – 51.60*
- 200 free – 1:52.29*
- 500 free – 4:57.78*
Wallace attends the Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School and became the first athlete in school history to medal in any athletic event at the state championship level when she placed 3rd at the Georgia 1A-5A (small school) championship meet last year.
“The school has both a great athletic program and academic reputation,” Wallace said. “The swimming facility is one of the best in the country. I really enjoyed the current team members, who seem to share the same goals that I have. I am certainly looking forward to being a Yellow Jacket.”
She’s also a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and the 2015 Augusta Chronicle Female Swimmer of the Year.
The Georgia Tech women have been loading up on freestylers – of the 4 verbal commitments that have been reported to SwimSwam, three fall under that heading. Besides these two, Emily Dykstra, who is almost under 5 minutes in the 500 free herself, is pledged to the Yellow Jackets.
The fourth commit, Maddie Oliver, is primarily a butterflier, though has some middle-distance freestyle potential as well.