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Two of Auburn’s Top 2021 Commits Released from NLIs after Coaching Change

A pair of lauded recruits in Auburn’s incoming freshman class of 2021 Lexie Mulvihill and Abby McCulloh have both been released from their National Letters of Intent, SEC coaches were informed this week.

The release comes after Auburn made a change at head coach, replacing Gary Taylor with former University of Houston coach Ryan Wochomurka.

McCulloh, an honorable mention recruit in the class of 2021, and Mulvihill, a “Best of the Rest” honoree as a sprinter, were part of one of the best recruiting classes in the country for the Tigers. That class also includes #14 Rebekah Hamilton and #19 Ellie Waldrep.

McCulloh told SwimSwam on Friday that she had not yet made a decision about where she was going to swim in college, saying that she’s taking some time to evaluate her options.

The outgoing coach Taylor came to Auburn with primarily a reputation with distance freestylers like McCulloh. Capable from 500-and-up, McCulloh is a very good long course swimmer with international potential.

This makes Wochomurka’s rebuilding challenge at his alma mater Auburn a bit more difficult. At March’s 2021 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, neither the Auburn men nor women scored. For the dominant team of the 2000s in college swimming, the last time neither the men or women scored was in the 1980s.

Mulvihill trains with Tampa Elite Aquatics in Tampa, Florida where she attends George Steinbrenner High School. McCulloh trains with Swim Atlanta and attends Parkview High School in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.

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Swim Mom
3 years ago

Smart girls!

DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

Unless I’m missing it in the article, there’s no quotes attributed to Mulvihill. Is it ethical to report something like this without going directly to the person involved?

DTRB
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

Why all the down votes?

Daddy
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

If the story has been verified, there’s no need to go to her unless they wanted a quote for the article

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  Daddy
3 years ago

Except we’re talking about someone who’s not legally an adult here. And we’re talking about a prospective student-athlete’s personal and private decision here. The only “confirmation” in this situation is either someone on SwimSwam having access to the IRL, and thus are an NCAA coach and/or administrator which would lend itself to some questionable morals/ethics in reporting this, or someone else (other than the prospective student-athlete, since there aren’t direct quotes from her) “saying” something, and thus how much are we banking on “confirmation” here?

Sorry, a situation like this should be reported only if spoken directly to the prospective student-athlete. SwimSwam overstepped their ethical boundaries here, IMHO.

Huh
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

Your opinion is bad.

TurkishBroccoli
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

How do you know they didn’t reach out and she didn’t just choose not to respond? Or maybe she did respond but didn’t have anything to add?

Also, she’s an adult by the definition of the state of Florida (18 years old).

Sounds like you’ve got some personal beef here. What gives?

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  TurkishBroccoli
3 years ago

She’s 17. And it’s pretty obvious with how the article is written that SwimSwam did not receive a confirmation from her (or else it would’ve been directly mentioned, even so much as a “SwimSwam reached out but did not hear back” type comment in the article).

My beef is with reporting something very personal/private of a prospective student-athlete without having direct contact with said person first. I have a major issue with that, knowing the windfall such reporting will always have.

swimapologist
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

Ok so her birthday is in 2 weeks. So in 2 weeks you’d be okay with it? Weird code of ethics you’ve got there man.

There is nothing “very personal/private” about college athletics. It’s all very public, as is evidenced by the amount of time these student-athletes spend posting about it on their social media accounts.

Sorry mate, I’m not buying that this is anything other than personal for you. Based on the downvotes, seems like most people agree.

FloridaCoach
Reply to  swimapologist
3 years ago

drswimphil is the same username as Phil Murray on Twitter, the assistant coach for the University of Tampa.

So, sounds like it is personal, given that she’s from Tampa too. Mama Bear will make up whatever “ethics” need to be made up to protect her cubs. I’m sure if they had included “Mulvihill didn’t respond to a request for comment,” he would’ve been mad that they would “attack a minor that way by making it look like she had something to hide.” If it wasn’t this, it was gonna be something else.

Phil Murray is also an avid COVID-denier/anti-vaxxer, so take his “ethics” arguments with a grain of salt.

Still don’t get why he’s viewing this as such a negative.… Read more »

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  FloridaCoach
3 years ago

I’ve never hid from who I am. I’ve stated before who I am here. I do know the situation a little more than the average situation that’s posted on here, so I have no qualms accepting/admitting that either. But more importantly, I will always back any prospective student-athlete who is making life-altering decisions to have the right to make those decisions private, and we should all respect that. Not sure how that’s a “bad” take, but hey, I’m ok with a “bad” take if I feel it’s the right way to see things through life.

And to slander me (and my school) with the “covid-denier/anti-vaxxer” label without actually providing any such proof (note: you can’t, because that’s not my stance,… Read more »

Konstantinople
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

I know this kind of guy in chat rooms. Runs on the interent and goes after other people, but when people go after him, he insists that the moderators (who in this case are the people he attacked) to bail him out.

Not coincidentally, often the “I am more than happy to re-evaluate my opinions” guy as well, who is always more than happy to re-evaluate his opinions, but never actually does.

Give it a rest Phil. The conference blasts these releases out to everyone in the SEC. It’s not like they hacked her emails. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people who already knew this.

You’re the literal only one who brought negativity to this thread. You… Read more »

DTRB
Reply to  FloridaCoach
3 years ago

Why do you feel it’s necessary to attack people on here? Especially outing commenters? Who are you?

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  swimapologist
3 years ago

Right…and when it’s posted in public on social media, then absolutely, it’s public. The student-athlete made it so.

This…wasn’t. Not sure how to explain that another way. And I’m ok with “most people” disagreeing with me here. It happens.

BigCarotTop
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

well tell us Phil ,,are you a anti vaxer and covid denier,,and a trumplican

Veteran Coach
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

drswimphil, a word of advice – the more the people around her, giving her advice, tell her this is bad, this is something she should be upset about, the more they egg that on (for whatever personal satisfaction it gives them), the more she’ll believe it.

If her mentors, coaches, parents give her good perspective and don’t make it a big deal, she won’t either.

And it really isn’t a big deal – she’s making the best choice for herself. The coach changed, so who can blame her?

Sounds like maybe you have the control to be a part of that conversation. I hope you make the right choice and not dig in on your instinct just because the internet… Read more »

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  Veteran Coach
3 years ago

Do you think it’s not a big deal if someone in such a position is being unnecessarily harassed outside this forum thanks directly to this article?

Again, if she chose to go public with it, even so much as to answer any request/response from SwimSwam, then by all means sure, write the article (as noted with the other individual in this very article, I have no problem with that). And in the end, you’re right, it probably won’t be a big deal down the road, and she does have a solid support system that will help her make this movement forward a positive one, but in the moment when someone wants such a decision to be private, those wishes… Read more »

SwimFani
Reply to  DrSwimPhil
3 years ago

Aint nothing private

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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