Women's Recruiting - #3 UCLA

"I am very excited about our swimming recruiting class,” Cyndi Gallagher told the press back in November. Of course, back then, she had seven additions to her roster. Now that number has risen to twelve, but still Gallagher is excited to have signed “incredible student-athletes who excel not only in the pool, but in the classroom. This could be by far the best academic class we've ever signed."

Make that academic, athletic and versatile. This class brings visions of the years when Kim Vandenberg, Malin Svahnstrom and Naoko Watanabe got the Bruins into the top ten. Most importantly, seven of the twelve hail from in-state. They didn’t land the best of the best, but they got three of the best (Laurence Delisle, Emma Drysdale and Emily Andelson), made the short list of some others like Jennifer Danny and LoLo Blair, and made themselves relevant again.

UCLA also plucked the best of the best from Washington (the state, not the University). Name it and Lindsey Marchand can do it. The Gig Harbor native was the second-best Prep American in our book. 

Rachel Godfred and Scarlet Cann are two more of Washington’s best.

Andelson and Drysdale will elevate UCLA relays to a new level. Andelson is a National Junior Team veteran who should blossom with the assistance of Pac 10 resources while Drysdale will be well prepared coming out of the powerful club program at DeAnza Cupertino.

Norway’s Karoline Sanderud flew under many teams’ radars until she qualified for the European Championships. She was already a Bruin by that time and she will lead a group that is marked by exceptional versatility. One such example - Quah Ting Wen – who found a way to pair the 100 free and 400 IM at the Beijing Olympics. Andrea Reigel, Stephanie Christofferson and Rachel Godfred are all up-and-comers. Their versatility will enable UCLA to open up its dual-meet lineup a bit. Most importantly, they should have the time to develop while the likes of Marchand, Sanderud, and Delisle shoulder the pressure of making an immediate impact.

Marchand, Lindsey	81.58	4	Gig Harbor, WA	King Aquatic Club
Sanderud, Karoline	73.18	29	Oslo, Norway
Delisle, Laurence	70.33	43	San Jose, CA	De Anza Cupertino Aquatics
Drysdale, Emma	69.59	46	Cupertino, CA	DACA
Andelson, Emily	67.28	64	Indian Wells, CA	Piranha Swim Team
Quah, Ting Wen	67.18	67	Singapore
Reigel, Andrea	59.29	154	Laguna Beach, CA	NGSV Gator Aquatics
Hall, Kelsey	54.92	226	Santee, VA	North Coast Aquatics
Christofferson, Stephanie	53.73	242	Greenbrae, CA	North Bay Aquatics
Godfred, Rachel	53.09	248	Seattle, WA	King Aquatic Club
Louden, Kelsey	47.44	322	Windsor, CA
Cann, Scarlet	38.81	468	Tacoma, WA	King Aquatic Club

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