Notre Dame Women Sign Six
Head coach Brian Barnes recently announced the signing of
six high school student-athletes who will continue their athletic and
academic careers at the University of Notre Dame beginning in the fall of
2010. Sarah Dotzel (York, Pa.), Mikelle Masciantonio (Emmaus, Pa.), Christen
McDonough (Charlotte, N.C.), Sydney Rickelman (Evansville, Ind.), Kelly Ryan
(Hinsdale, Ill.) and Lauren Stauder (Carmel, Ind.) have each signed a
National Letter of Intent to join the Irish program.
The collective athletic resume of Notre Dame¹s early signees includes high
school state champions and state record holders, multiple top-8 Junior
National performers and one member of USA Swimming¹s National Youth Team.
The class also boasts a bevy of U.S. Olympic Trials, World Championship
Trials, U.S. Open and Senior National qualifying performances.
³Analyzing this class from a performance-only standpoint is really
exciting,² Barnes said. ³But when I put my excitement for our early
signees into words, I find myself talking extensively about their caliber
and character. This is a bright, motivated group of young women who share a
love of competition, an understanding of the value of hard work and an
appreciation of team concepts. During the recruiting process they came to
the realization that Notre Dame was the very best place for them to develop
and capitalize on their abilities and talents. When each of these six young
women signed with Notre Dame, I took it as a major compliment to our
coaching staff and the current team.
³As for the potential achievement of this class, I¹d like to leave the door
wide open. It will be another four years before the talents and abilities of
the class of 2014 are fully realized. But one thing is certain, as our
program will get a lot done with this class over the next four years and we
will have a lot of fun along the way.²
--
Sarah Dotzel · York, Pa.
Butterfly
York Catholic High School · York YMCA
Barnes on Dotzel: ³Notre Dame is a very authentic community. For those
lucky enough to feel an immediate connection to the community, the results
can be powerful. Sarah is one of those individuals. Right from the start of
our first sit-down conversation, I knew that Sarah wanted to join the Notre
Dame family. And it was a sentiment that we shared. Sarah is one of the top
butterflyers coming out of Pennsylvania this year and I know that she is a
highly coachable, highly disciplined athlete. I believe that the passion and
grit Sarah will exude every time she puts on a Notre Dame cap will reap
great things for the program.²
Top Times (short course): 100 butterfly (55.80), 200 butterfly (2:00.82)
--
Mikelle Masciantonio · Emmaus, Pa.
Freestyle / Breaststroke / IM
Emmaus High School · EMAC
Barnes on Masciantonio: ³Mikelle is a true athlete who comes from a family
of athletes. While she is the top ranked female recruit out of the state of
Pennsylvania this year, I am far, far more excited about her future
prospects than any of her achievements or accolades to date. There is a
certain X-factor to Mikelle. She is a daring competitor with the spark,
talent and imagination needed to perform at the highest levels.²
Top Times (short course): 50 free (23.22), 200 IM (2:00.83), 100 breast
(1:03.41)
--
Christen McDonough · Charlotte, N.C.
Breaststroke
Charlotte Catholic High School · Swim MAC
Barnes on McDonough: ³Christen comes highly recommended by Jeremy Knowles
and David Marsh, her coaches at Swim MAC. While that carries some weight, it
was my first meeting with Christen that sold me on her upside. When I saw
Christen swim, it was clear that she is just now coming into her own as an
athlete. Christen has an enthusiasm for swimming and a growing confidence
that will serve her well. And coming from MAC, she has seen first-hand what
it takes, both mentally and physically, to thrive as a swimmer.²
Top Times (short course): 100 breast (1:04.38), 200 breast (2:23.97)
--
Sydney Rickelman · Evansville, Ind.
Diving
F.J. Reitz High School · STARZ Diving Club
Irish head diving coach Caiming Xie on Rickelman: ³We are very pleased to
have Sydney commit to Notre Dame. Working with Sydney will be very exciting,
as her extensive gymnastics background will aid in her development as a
diver, and already she has finished among the top divers at the Indiana High
School State Championships.²
--
Kelly Ryan · Hinsdale, Ill.
Backstroke · Freestyle
Fenwick High School · Westmont Swim Club
Barnes on Ryan: ³We¹ve been excited about Kelly for quite some time now. She
has had the benefit of having coaches who patiently brought her up through
the ranks without trying to rush her development in the pool. On the heels
of a breakthrough summer season, Kelly won the 100 backstroke title at the
Illinois state meet in convincing style this fall. But at over six feet tall
and with no weight training in her background, she¹s still a raw swimmer. I
am confident that Kelly will come into her own at Notre Dame. When you take
into account her current level of poise and confidence, that¹s an exciting
thing for our program.²
Top Times: 100 back (1:03.94 long course, 55.42 short course), 200 back
(2:17.69 long course, 2:02.00 short course), 200 free (1:51.88 short
course).
--
Laura Stauder · Carmel, Ind.
Breaststroke
Carmel High School · Carmel Swim Club
Barnes on Stauder: ³With a national record streak of 23 consecutive state
championships, Carmel High School is one of Indiana¹s great swimming
traditions. And over the last three years, Lauren Stauder has been the go-to
breaststroker for Carmel. Lauren knows the level of energy and competitive
authority required of any championship team and she understands the role of
the individual competitor within a larger team atmosphere. Lauren also
brings with her a passion for the details of swimming: she¹s the kind of
swimmer who just loves to talk shop. Her coach, Chris Plumb, has done an
amazing job with her development not only as a competitor but as a true
student of our sport.²
Top Times: 100 breast (1:11.24 long course, 1:02.84 short course), 200
breast (2:30.49 long course, 2:17.92 short course)
