Minnesota – Whoever said it’s impossible to recruit to a northern school didn’t know what they were talking about. The key is to know your product and know your audience. Kelly Kremer and Terry Nieszner know both and as a result the Minnesota boasts a class of at least ten swimmers capable of making a contribution. In some programs ten eventually equals four or five, but not at Minnesota where swimmer attrition is remarkably low. This year eight of the thirty-eight Golden Gophers were seniors.

Those numbers are possible when you can hold onto the home-state talent which is what the Gophers did. Meghan Braun (Edina, MN) is a top-five flyer who will make an impact on all of the Gopher relays. Courtney Veerman (Madison, WI) and Molly Belk (Minneapolis, MN) arrive with ‘B’ Cut times in their history. It also helps when you can target swimmer who are accustomed to chilly weather themselves. That’s the case with Swedish import Emilia Nilsson (Mid-Distance/Back) and Alberta native Jillian Tyler (breaststroke), both of whom can compete at the national level. Sprinters Kaylee Jamison (St. Charles, IL), Kelsey Ridder (Ballwin, MO) and Meagan Radecke (Stillwater, MN) give the youthful Gophers a seemingly-endless pool of talent.

2636	Veerman, Courtney	Verona, WI
 1790	Tyler, Jilliam		Calgary, Alberta
 2380	Ridder, Kelsey		Ballwin, MO
 2200	Radecke, Meagan		Stillwater, MN
 2476	Nilsson, Emilia		Linkoping, Sweden
 2400	Jamison, Kaylee		St. Charles, IL
 2209	Hillstrom, Steph	Brooklyn Center, MN
 2641	Braun, Meghan		Edina, MN
 2564	Belk, Molly		Minneapolis, MN