Ok, I will be the first to admit that this is waaaay too early to start a recruiting thread for the Class of 2017, but with Olympic Trials just around the corner, we already know who a lot of the major players in the Class of 2017 will be, and, of course, there will be plenty of additions to this initial list. After a disappointing recruiting year in 2016, next year will be crucial to stay in touch with the Furd. Plus, BearDevil and UAC are already putting new info on the old recruiting thread, so might as well consolidate now. :p
So, first of all, who are we losing in 2017? Marina Garcia (100 Breast, 200 Breast, and medley relays), Celina Li (200IM and 400IM), Farida Osman (50 Free, 100 Free, and at least four relays), Kristen Vredeveld (50 Free and 100 Free), and diver Hayden Tavoda. So the biggest needs are Breast, IM, and a sprinter. We also need some middle distance swimmers from unfilled needs in the past.
Ever since Caitlyn Leverenz graduated, breast stroke has been a gaping weakness for our team. I remember when Marina first signed, we thought all of our worries would disappear. Although she is the best we have, Marina hasn't quite lived up to our lofty expectations. In my opinion, we not only need one sprint breaststroker, but it would also be nice to have depth at the position, and get a second breast sprinter. What I am leading to is that I want both, of what should be our top two recruits for the class of 2017.
The Breaststrokers
1A. Nicole Popov; Santa Clarita, California - Nikol is a current teammate of uber sprinting stud Abbey Weitzeil, so we already have a little bit of an inside track on recruiting her. Her top times are 59.64 in the 100Y Breast and 2:08.92 in the 200Y Breast. Wouldn't it be nice to have a sub minute breaststroker? Nikol also happens to be a solid 200IMer with a best time of 1:58.78, which addresses some of our big IM need.
1B. Maggie Aroesty; Long Beach, New York - Maggie's 100 Breast time is actually a little bit faster than Nikol's, although Nikol has been faster in the 200 Breast. Maggie has been 58.98 in the 100 Breast and 2:11.67 in the 200 Breast. Maggie is also an outstanding 200IMer with a time of 1:57.76. Maggie and Nikol happen to be friends, so that would be a pretty cool package deal if they both chose to come to Berkeley. I definitely want both!
The second biggest need is filling the shoes of the MVP of the past year, Farida Osman. While there are no uber sprinters in the mold of Simone Manuel or Abbey Weitzeil in this class, there are still some very good ones. I really don't have a favorite here yet, but we only need one on this list.
The Sprinters
1. Lauren Pitzer; Haltom City, Texas - I'm tentatively putting Lauren first here because she seems to have more middle distance range than the others. Her times are 50 Free (22.77), 100 Free (48.72), 200 Free (1.45.68), and 500 Free (4:42.80). As far as I know, we have no recruiting connections to Lauren.
2. Ashley Volpenhein; Mason, Ohio - Ashley is an outstanding student, and is also a top target of the Furd. Her times are 50 Free (22.35), 100 Free (48.96), and 200 Free (1:49.39). Ashley has been to our campus unofficially, but like I said before, she is also a target of the Furd.
3. Marta Ciesla; Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Marta was part of the US Junior National Team, so she knows Nikol and Maggie. Her times are 50 Free (22.52), 100 Free (48.97), and 200 Free (1:51.57)
Other Great Swimmers
1. Courtney Harnish; York, Pennsylvania - Courtney is from the same swim club as former Cal target, Meghan Small. She would fill our needs from 200 - 1650 Free, and is also a great in the 200Y Butterfly.
2. Hannah Kukurugya aka Kuks; Highland, Indiana - Hannah is also a great student and leader. She was one of the captains for the US Junior National Team. Her specialty is the 200 Fly, which leaves a little to be desired because of lack of versatility, but would be great with the intangibles. She is another Furd target.
3. Sierra Schmidt; Erdenheim, Pennsylvania - Sierra is a long distance swimmer who is known for her pre race dancing routine. We could use another distance swimmer depending on how Chenoa Devine and Anina Lund develop, but I'm not sure that Teri would spend another scholly on a distance swimmer. She has been reported to be a Michigan lean.
The Local
Taylor Ault; Sonora, California - Taylor is a middle and long distance swimmer, who might be a better deal scholly wise than Sierra. We haven't had good luck with the North Bay girls recently, so hopefully that will change with Taylor.
This list will change and grow a lot over the Summer, but this is a good starting reference sheet. My wish list is Nikol and Maggie, one of the sprinters, and Courtney. In my opinion 2018 is the big year talent wise. We are talking Dream Team type of talent, with the likes of Taylor Ruck, Eva Merrell, Penny Oleksiak, Cassidy Bayer, Madison Homovich, Grace Ariola, Halladay Kinsey, Samantha Shelton, and more!
So, first of all, who are we losing in 2017? Marina Garcia (100 Breast, 200 Breast, and medley relays), Celina Li (200IM and 400IM), Farida Osman (50 Free, 100 Free, and at least four relays), Kristen Vredeveld (50 Free and 100 Free), and diver Hayden Tavoda. So the biggest needs are Breast, IM, and a sprinter. We also need some middle distance swimmers from unfilled needs in the past.
Ever since Caitlyn Leverenz graduated, breast stroke has been a gaping weakness for our team. I remember when Marina first signed, we thought all of our worries would disappear. Although she is the best we have, Marina hasn't quite lived up to our lofty expectations. In my opinion, we not only need one sprint breaststroker, but it would also be nice to have depth at the position, and get a second breast sprinter. What I am leading to is that I want both, of what should be our top two recruits for the class of 2017.
The Breaststrokers
1A. Nicole Popov; Santa Clarita, California - Nikol is a current teammate of uber sprinting stud Abbey Weitzeil, so we already have a little bit of an inside track on recruiting her. Her top times are 59.64 in the 100Y Breast and 2:08.92 in the 200Y Breast. Wouldn't it be nice to have a sub minute breaststroker? Nikol also happens to be a solid 200IMer with a best time of 1:58.78, which addresses some of our big IM need.
1B. Maggie Aroesty; Long Beach, New York - Maggie's 100 Breast time is actually a little bit faster than Nikol's, although Nikol has been faster in the 200 Breast. Maggie has been 58.98 in the 100 Breast and 2:11.67 in the 200 Breast. Maggie is also an outstanding 200IMer with a time of 1:57.76. Maggie and Nikol happen to be friends, so that would be a pretty cool package deal if they both chose to come to Berkeley. I definitely want both!
The second biggest need is filling the shoes of the MVP of the past year, Farida Osman. While there are no uber sprinters in the mold of Simone Manuel or Abbey Weitzeil in this class, there are still some very good ones. I really don't have a favorite here yet, but we only need one on this list.
The Sprinters
1. Lauren Pitzer; Haltom City, Texas - I'm tentatively putting Lauren first here because she seems to have more middle distance range than the others. Her times are 50 Free (22.77), 100 Free (48.72), 200 Free (1.45.68), and 500 Free (4:42.80). As far as I know, we have no recruiting connections to Lauren.
2. Ashley Volpenhein; Mason, Ohio - Ashley is an outstanding student, and is also a top target of the Furd. Her times are 50 Free (22.35), 100 Free (48.96), and 200 Free (1:49.39). Ashley has been to our campus unofficially, but like I said before, she is also a target of the Furd.
3. Marta Ciesla; Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Marta was part of the US Junior National Team, so she knows Nikol and Maggie. Her times are 50 Free (22.52), 100 Free (48.97), and 200 Free (1:51.57)
Other Great Swimmers
1. Courtney Harnish; York, Pennsylvania - Courtney is from the same swim club as former Cal target, Meghan Small. She would fill our needs from 200 - 1650 Free, and is also a great in the 200Y Butterfly.
2. Hannah Kukurugya aka Kuks; Highland, Indiana - Hannah is also a great student and leader. She was one of the captains for the US Junior National Team. Her specialty is the 200 Fly, which leaves a little to be desired because of lack of versatility, but would be great with the intangibles. She is another Furd target.
3. Sierra Schmidt; Erdenheim, Pennsylvania - Sierra is a long distance swimmer who is known for her pre race dancing routine. We could use another distance swimmer depending on how Chenoa Devine and Anina Lund develop, but I'm not sure that Teri would spend another scholly on a distance swimmer. She has been reported to be a Michigan lean.
The Local
Taylor Ault; Sonora, California - Taylor is a middle and long distance swimmer, who might be a better deal scholly wise than Sierra. We haven't had good luck with the North Bay girls recently, so hopefully that will change with Taylor.
This list will change and grow a lot over the Summer, but this is a good starting reference sheet. My wish list is Nikol and Maggie, one of the sprinters, and Courtney. In my opinion 2018 is the big year talent wise. We are talking Dream Team type of talent, with the likes of Taylor Ruck, Eva Merrell, Penny Oleksiak, Cassidy Bayer, Madison Homovich, Grace Ariola, Halladay Kinsey, Samantha Shelton, and more!