WKU Rips Up the Recruiting Trail, Adds 23 for 2013-14

Brian Thomas, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Western Kentucky University, has announced that the swimming and diving program will welcome 23 new student-athletes to campus this fall for the 2013-14 campaign. The Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers will look to ride the momentum of an historic 2012-13 season that produced 15 NCAA “B” qualifiers, 20 new program records and a Sun Belt Conference Championship for the women’s team all while boasting their first U.S. Olympian in 2012. The men placed second to SMU in a hotly-contested Conference USA Men’s Swimming and Diving Invitational meet that saw several lead changes and a personal-best rate of 95 percent. Last year’s recruiting class, named by CollegeSwimming.com as an honorable mention, accounted for almost one-third of the team’s scoring at the SBC and Conference USA meets.  Here’s a brief look at the newest crop of Tops and Lady Tops for the upcoming season:

WOMEN:

Maggie Patterson        Paris, Ky.-Highbridge Aquatics
Best Performances:      100 Breast – 1:01.6
100 Fly – 55.2
50 Free – 23.4; 100 Free – 51.2

Kennedy Higdon  Knoxville, Tenn.-University of Tennessee
Best Performances:      200 IM – 2:01.5; 400 IM – 4:16.4
200 Fly – 1:59.5; 100 Fly – 56.9
200 Free – 1:50.2; 500 Free – 4:52.4

Erin Moe                Westfield, Ind.-Carmel Swim Club
Best Performances:      200 Free – 1:51.7
500 Free – 4:52.0; 1650 Free – 16:43.6

Celia Ouellette         Bowdoinham, Maine-Bath Area Family YMCA
Best Performances:      50 Free – 23.1; 100 Free – 52.7

Andrea VanderMey        Novi, Mich.-Kingfish Aquatics of Waterford
Best Performances:      100 Back – 56.0; 200 Back – 2:03.8

Kelsey Turner           Mt. Vernon, Ind.-Mt. Vernon Swim Club
Best Performances:      100 Free – 51.8; 200 Free – 1:51.3

Aubrey Grensing Murfreesboro, Tenn.-Excel  Aquatics
Best Performances:      100 Back – 57.8; 200 Back – 2:06.2
100 Fly – 57.4

MEN:

Aymeric Le Corno        Toulouse, France-Dauphins Toulouse Oec  (January 2013)
Best Performances:      500 Free – 4:20.9
1650 Free – 15:16.1
200 Free – 1:39.4; 50 Free – 20.6

Cody Reul               Alpharetta, Ga.-Swim Atlanta
Best Performances:      100 Free – 45.6; 200 Free – 1:39.0
500 Free – 4:25.1

Jesse Musser            Overland Park, Kan.-Kansas City Blazers
Best Performances:      100 Free – 46.1; 200 Free – 1:39.2; 500 Free – 4:32.0
200 Fly – 1:51.6; 100 Fly – 51.0
200 IM – 1:53.3

Thomas Bland            Baltimore, Md.-Darton College
Best Performances:      100 Breast – 54.8; 200 Breast – 2:01.7
200 IM – 1:54.5

Lucas De Brito          Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-Davie Nadadores
Best Performances:      100 Fly – 49.4; 200 Fly – 1:53.0
200 Free – 1:43.4; 500 Free – 4:32.5

Christian Aragona       Godfrey, Ill.-Tri-City Area Tidalwaves
Best Performances:      50 Free – 20.6
100 Free – 45.9

Cody Mitchell           Flanagan, Ill.-Redbird Swim Club
Best Performances:      100 Fly – 50.8; 200 Fly – 1:53.4
200 Free – 1:43.5

Colin Hausman           Tarpon Springs, Fla.-Palm Harbor YMCA Piranhas
Best Performances:      50 Free – 21.1; 100 Free – 46.7
200 Free – 1:43.9

Newell Hicks            Midway, Ky.-Bluegrass Marlins
Best Performances:      100 Fly – 51.9; 200 Fly – 1:54.4

Davis Ranburger Owensboro, Ky.-Owensboro Velocity
Best Performances:      100 Breast – 58.9
200 Breast – 2:11.1

DIVERS

WOMEN:

Amy Crayne              Rio Linda, Cali.
Best Performances:      3-time All-American; 1st Place at 2012 Far Western Diving Championships (3M)
3rd Place at 2012 SPEEDO Junior Nationals (Platform)

Alexandra  Mata Blue Springs, Mo.
Best Performances:      All-Conference Team, All-Area Honorable Mention (11, 12, 13)

Madison Rylee           Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
Best Performances:      5th Place-2013 KHSAA State Championships

Nicole Ares             Versailles, Ky.
Best Performances:      11th Place-2013 KHSAA State Championships

MEN:

Zachary Batus           Georgetown, Ky.
Best Performances:      6th Place-2013 KHSAA State Championships
Competes in 1M, 3M and Platform

Zachary Hall            Noblesville, Ind.
Best Performances:      14th Place-2013 IHSAA State Championships

This is an unedited press release.