courtesy of Tulane Athletics
The Tulane swimming and diving team announced that they are welcoming eleven student-athletes into the fold for the 2024-25 season.
The group hails from seven different states (Montana, California, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois) and three different countries (Brazil, South Africa and Greece).
The 11 members are Catherine Russo (Butte, Montana/Ohio State), Maya Wilson (Burbank, California/UCLA), Rafaela Sumida (Marilia, São Paulo, Brazil), Lise Coetzee (Pretoria, South Africa), Gkiouzepa Petropoulou Varvara (Thessaloniki, Greece), Phoebe Johnson (Dallas, Texas/Bishop Lynch HS), Layla Allen (Mandeville, Louisiana/Mandeville HS), Charley Floyd (Charlotte, North Carolina/Charlotte Latin School), Lily Von Herbulis (Warrenton, Virginia/Kettle Run HS), Eva Shawver (Skokie, Illinois/Niles North HS), Kelsey Weddington (Conroe, Texas/Willis HS).
“We are so excited to welcome these women into our program,” said Amanda Caldwell, Tulane’s head coach. “The experience and leadership that transfers Catherine and Maya are bringing to our program, in addition to their sprint successes from the Big Ten & Pac12 Conferences, will make them instant contributors in and out of the pool. We have an amazing group of nine freshmen swimmers and divers coming in during the fall. Collectively they will expand our program in areas of talent and depth to continue our pursuit of success in the pool, classroom, and the community. I want to say a special thank you to my assistants, Greyson Heckman and Justin Moser, for working tirelessly this past year in growing our class of 2024. I am looking forward to getting everyone on campus and united to drive this energy through the 24-25 season.”
Catherine Russo (Butte, Montana)
Butte HS/Ohio State University
Russo arrives at Tulane after spending the past four seasons competing at Ohio State University. She was a CSCAA (College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America) First Team All-American in the 400 free relay in 2023. Russo was a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete (2021-2024) and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2022-24). She was a CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2023. As a senior at OSU, Russo had a NCAA B qualifying time in the 100 fly (52.91). As a junior, she was a member of the Big Ten Champion 400 free relay team. Also, during her junior season, at the NCAA Championships, was a member of the fifth-place 400 free relay team to earn First Team All-America honors. As a sophomore, she placed ninth in the 100 fly at the Big Ten Championships (52.36) and finished 20th overall in both the 100 free (49.55) and the 50 free (22.60). As a freshman, she raced in the 50 free and the 100 fly at the NCAA Championships. Prior to her arrival at Ohio State, Russo was a 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier n the 100 butterfly after winning the event at the USA Swimming Futures Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. In high school at Butte, she was one of the her classes’ valedictorians, a four-time Montana state high school champion in the 50 free, a four-time state champion in the 100 butterfly, holds the state record in the 50 free (22.76) and the 100 fly (54.15) and was the first swimmer – male or female – in Montana school history to win four state titles in two different events.
Top Times
50 Free – 22.04
100 Free – 48.69
50 Fly – 24.02
100 Fly – 51.60
Maya Wilson (Burbank, California)
John Burroughs HS / UCLA
Wilson, as a senior at UCLA, had the school’s top times in the individual events of the 50 free (22.37), the 100 free (48.78) and the 200 free (1:45.59). She also was part of the program’s fastest 200m free relay (1:29.21), the 400 free relay (3:14.91) and the 800 free relay (7:02.72). She also was a six-time UCLA Director’s Honor Roll selection and a two-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll recipient. Prior to UCLA, she was a four-year varsity swimmer in at John Burroughs HS, earned the 2019 California CIF Southern Section 3 Championship in the 200 free, ending her career holding eight individual school and was the 2017 Glendale News-Press Girls’ Swimmer of the Year.
Top Times
50 Free – 22.37
100 Free – 48.78
200 Free – 1:45.59
Rafaela Sumida (Marilia, São Paulo/ Brazil)
Colegio Criativo/Flamengo
Sumida, a Brazilian multi-national age champion, has also participated in multiple international competitions. At the 2022 World Junior Championships, she was a bronze medalist in the 800 free relay to help Brazil achieve the highest place finish in history. She was also Youth South American champion and a national medalist at Jose Finkel Trophy in 2023. She intends to major in Political Economy with Concentration in Internacional Perspectives.
Top Times (LCM)
100 Frees – 57.97
200 Free – 2:03.43
400 Free – 4:18.62
200 Back – 2:17.62
200 IM – 2:19.59
Lise Coetzee (Pretoria, South Africa)
Tuks Aquatics Swim Club/Afrikanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (HS)
Coetzee is a top-10 ranked middle distance swimmer in South Africa. She swam in the finals of both the 2020 and 2024 South African Olympic trials in the 200 and 400 freestyle respectively, as well as for the 800m freestyle in 2024. Coetzee represented her home country and won multiple gold medals plus set personal bests at the Junior Africa Games in Mauritius in her freestyle events.
Top Times
100 Free – 57.89 (LCM)
200 Free – 2:04.51 (LCM)
400 Free – 4:20.81 (LCM)
800 Free – 8:59.73 (LCM)
Gkiouzepa Petropoulou Varvara (Thessaloniki, Greece)
Aris Swimming Team/1st Daily General Senior High School Sykeon of Thessaloniki
Varvara was ranked 27th nationally in the 2023-2024 season and has podiumed in her national age group championships each year since 2019 with two golds last year at 200 fly and 1500 free and a silver in the 100 fly. She is also member of the junior national swimming team of Greece and participated in the European Junior Swimming Championships 2023. She earned a bronze in 200 fly in the national swimming championships 2023 and the Multination Junior Swimming meet 2024.
Top Times
50 Fly – 28.80 (LM)
100 Fly – 1:02.22 (LM)
200 Fly: 2:16.30 (LM)
200 IM: 2:23.04 (LM)
400 IM: 5:00.04(LM)
1500 Free: 17:50.99(LM)
Phoebe Johnson (Dallas, Texas)
Dallas Mustangs Swim Team/Bishop Lynch HS
Johnson competes as a member of the Dallas Mustangs swim team. She was a 4 times top-3 finisher at TAPPS Division 1 State for her high school team, Bishop Lynch, in the 500 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She intends to major in either political science or philosophy on a pre-law track.
Top times
200 Free – 1:52.25 (SCY)
500 Free – 5:01.95 (SCY)
100 Fly – 1:04.34 (LCM)
200 Fly- 2:04.84
Layla Allen (Mandeville, Louisiana)
Franco’s Fins/Mandeville High School
Allen is a top-five ranked Louisiana recruit. She was a three-time LHSAA Louisiana D1 State Champion in the 100 free, 200 free, and 500 free. Allen was also a two-time Louisiana State Champion in the 1000 and mile. She intends to major in finance.
Top Times
500 Free – 5:01.81(Y)
1650 Free -17:24.94(Y)
1000 Free – 10:22.90(Y)
200 Free -1:53.72(Y)
Charley Floyd (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Mecklenburg Swim Association/Charlotte Latin School
Floyd was a two-time all conference swimmer in the CISAA Conference. As a sophomore and again as a junior at the NCISAA Division State Championships she podiumed in the 100 back in finishing third both years. Floyd was a finalist in the 100 free during her freshman, sophomore, and senior seasons and the 100 fly as a junior at the same meet. As a junior, she led off her 200-medley relay and placed third in the 400 free relay to help both teams secure victories at the NCISAA Division I State Championship. She intends to major in philosophy with a focus in law and intends to be on the pre-law track.
Top Times
100 Back – 57.57(Y)
50 Free – 24.63(Y)
100 Free – 52.78 (Y)
100 Fly – 58.30 (Y)
Lily Von Herbulis (Warrenton, Virginia)
Occoquan Swimming/Kettle Run HS
Van Herbulis was a three-time VHSL Class 4 State Finalist in both the 100 and 50 frees. In 2024, she podiumed in the 100 free finishing 3rd (52.97). She intends to major in psychology and exercise science.
Top Times
100 Free – 52.75(Y)
50 Free – 24.45(Y)
200 Free – 1:56.34(Y)
Eva Shawver (Skokie, Illinois)
Glenbrook Aquatics/Niles North HS
Shawver is a two-time IHSA Illinois State Finals Qualifier in the 1-meter diving. She is also a two-time All-Conference diver and broke several of her high school’s records. She intends to major in Public Health and minor in Spanish.
Top Scores
1 Meter – 252 (6 dives)
1 Meter – 419.9 (11 dives)
3 Meter – 297 (9 dives)
Kelsey Weddington (Conroe, Texas)
Woodlands Diving Academy/Willis HS
Weddington was a national qualifier diver in both the 1 and 3 meter and a Texas 6A State Championship Finalists. She was also a standout in the classroom ranked number 10 in her class of over 600 students.
Top Scores
1 Meter – 430.10 (11 dives)
3 Meter – 316.6 (9 dives)
The above group is expected to make an immediate impact, both in individual and relays events. Russo and Wilson’s current times would have placed them in the “A” Final in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly and the 200 free at last season’s American Athletic Conference Championships. Russo’s time would have won the 100 free while Wilson’s 100 free times would have had her in second. Wilson also would have won the 200 free with her best time, while Russo would have placed second in the 100 fly. The diving scores for Shawver and Weddington would have placed both among the top-seven in the conference in the 3-meter at the conference championships.
Tulane’s swimming program had an outstanding 2023-24 season that resulted in 64 lifetime bests, 31 all-time top-10 school marks, four school records, an AAC individual title, an AAC Freshman of the Year Award, 11 National Invite Championship Qualifiers, a Zone Diver Qualifier and an NCAA qualifier.