Louisville Women Sign 10

The University of Louisville Women’s Swimming and Diving Team welcome
ten newcomers during the early signing period in 2009.

“This is a very impressive group of young ladies.  They will
undoubtedly be significant players in the future success of the
program.” announced Albiero.

 The Louisville team will be joined by: Krissie Brandenburg (Edgewood,
KY), Emily Conway (Huntersville, NC), Nicole Glazer (Chevy Chase, MD),
Gisselle Kohoyda (Midland, MI), Lindsey LaPorte (Scottsdale, AZ) Breann
McDowell (Mason, OH), Mary Mittel (Louisville, KY), Carly Munchel (York,
PA), Samantha Ormand (Bessemer City, NC), and Brittany Walsh (Muskego,
WI).

Krissie Brandenburg, the 2009 Kentucky High School Female Swimmer of
the Year and two time state champion will be joining the Louisville
Cardinals next year from the Northern Kentucky Clippers Swim Team.
Krissie currently holds three Kentucky High School State records, 15
team records, and is a US Open and USA Senior National qualifier.  She
placed 4th in the 50 backstroke, 7th in the 100 backstroke, and 15th in
the 100 freestyle earlier this year at the Junior National
Championships.  Her current best times are 54.91 in the 100 yd
backstroke and 50.26 in the 100 yd freestyle.

 “We are thrilled to have Krissie as a Cardinal!  She is one of the
top sprint prospects in the country this year and will significantly
intensify the competition for our relays.” said Albiero. Krissie is
also a two time Scholastic All-American and is interested in studying
engineering.

Emily Conway becomes a member of the 2010 Cardinal team from Swim MAC
of the Carolinas in North Carolina, coached by Olympic assistant and
former Auburn head coach, David Marsh.  Her many swimming
accomplishments include 2nd place finishes in the 400 IM and 100 fly at
the North Carolina Senior State meet.  In addition, she has been named
to the 2009 All-American and All-State team. As a student at Hopewell
High school, Emily is a three time Scholastic All-American and a member
of the Spanish National Honor Society. Her best times include: 55.16 in
the 100 yd butterfly, 2:04.06 in the 200 yd butterfly, and 4:26.97 in
the 400 yd IM.

 “Emily is an outstanding and hard-working student-athlete. Her
persistence in the pool and the classroom will be a great value to the
success of our program.” said Albiero.

Diver Nicole Glazer, comes to the University of Louisville from
Montgomery Dive Club, a high profile diving team in Maryland.  Her
extensive U.S. Diving training will help her move right into NCAA
competitions.  Her strongest event at this point is the platform event
with a tenth place finish at this past summers National Age Group
Championships.

 “With some intense strength and conditioning and diving training at
the college level, her spring board events will improve greatly and she
will be a valuable asset to the University of Louisville swimming and
diving program.” said Zehnder.

Breaststroker Gisselle Kohoyda, from Midland, Michigan and the
Barracuda Swim Team will be joining the outstanding Louisville
breaststroke group. This summer, Gisselle competed at the Speedo Series
Sectional Championships winning the 200 LC breaststroke in a time of
2:35.53, setting a new pool record at Miami of Ohio University. She was
the only high school aged swimmer to win an event during that
championship.  She is a 2008 Michigan High School State champion and
currently holds four Midland High school records.

 “Gisselle had a great break out summer and we are excited to work
with her and tap into her full potential. She has great discipline and
focus to reach her goals.” said Albiero.

Olympic Trial qualifier and Arizona High School State Champion, Lindsey
LaPorte, joins University of Louisville from Pinnacle High School and
the Scottsdale Aquatic Club in Arizona. Lindsey recently completed her
high school career competing at the 2009 5A Division II Arizona High
School S
tate Championships where she won the100 freestyle and earned
All-American status with a time of 51.28. Her times posted to date are
1:49.63 and 4:50.98 in the 200 and 500 freestyle; and 55.91 and 1:59.66
in the 100 and 200 backstroke, respectively.  Along with her many
swimming accomplishments, Lindsey is a Scholar Athlete Award winner and
Treasurer of her high school National Honor Society.

 “Lindsey is a very versatile swimmer and will make an immediate
impact on the team and conference.  She has such a positive attitude and
drive about life, it will be a pleasure to have her on the team and
watch her develop.” said Albiero.  Lindsey is also very active at
Highlands Church where she volunteers as a special needs leader.

The Louisville Cardinals will welcome Breann McDowell from the other
side of the river in Mason, OH and Ursuline Academy.  Breann is the 2009
Ohio State Champion in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:49.66 and was
named the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Swim Athlete of the Year.
She is a 10 time Division 1 Ohio High School State Medalist and a 10
time High School All-American.

 “Breann brings a great combination of work ethic and potential.  We
have only begin to see what she is capable of and expect her to be a
fierce competitor in the Big East and NCAA.” said Albiero. Outside the
pool, Breann is very involved in the Athletes Impact Youth Group where
she has traveled to Mexico n a mission trip to build orphanages.

Standout swimmer, Mary Mittel, joins the Cardinals by way of Mike
Deboor and the Lakeside Seahawks where she leads the team as captain.
She is a USA Senior National qualifier is the 50 yd freestyle with a
time of 26.65, 100 LC butterfly with a 1:02.85, and 100 LC backstroke
with a 1:04.82.  She is the Vice-President of the student body at Saint
James Academy in Louisville.  Mary comes from a long lineage of Cardinal
Swimmers, following in the footsteps of her two older brothers’,
Joseph and Gavin.

 “We are thrilled to welcome one of the top Kentucky swimmers to our
program. We have a special place in our hearts for Louisville natives.
We have watched Mary develop for years and we are excited that she will
be making her own mark on the program while continue to grow into an
exceptional student-athlete.” said Albiero.

 Distance freestyle specialist Carly Munchel comes from Spring Grove
High School in York, Pennsylvania where she is on the Distinguished
Honor Roll.  As a member of West Shore YMCA Swim Team, Carly has
competed at the 2009 YMCA State where she won the 500 free and YMCA Long
Course Nationals Championships where she placed third in the 800 and
1500 freestyle with times of 9:02.08 and 17:08.59 respectively.  Carly
is interested in studying Elementary Education and is an active member
in the Future Educators Club.

 “Carly comes from a great club distance program and she is just
starting to scratch the surface of what she is capable of achieving in
the pool. She is a proven competitor, and it will be fun to watch her
continued improvements over the next few years.  She also has such a
great personality and is so much fun to be around.” said Albiero.

US Senior National qualifier, Samantha Ormand, will also be joining the
Cardinals next year from Swim MAC of the Carolinas.  Sam has been a
North Carolina Swimming All-Star since 2004 and was named the North
Carolina Swimmer of the year in 2006. Her National qualifying times of
23.60 in the 50 yd freestyle, 51.10 in the 100 yd freestyle, and 1:04.35
in the 100 LC backstroke will add to Louisville’s strength in the
sprint events.

 “Sam is a self-motivated individual who will no doubt help us in the
sprint relay events.  With her willpower, I see her vastly improving
while at the University of Louisville.” Albiero says.  Sam has also
been on the honor roll during her academic career at Gaston Christian
School and is a two time Scholastic All-American.

Brittany Walsh, will help add strength to the distance freestyle events
ne
xt year for the Cardinals.  Brittany placed 2nd in the 500 free and
3rd in the 200 freestyle at the Wisconsin High school State meet where
she also broke her school record and earn All- American status.  This
spring, Brittany showed vast improvement at the Speedo Series Sectional
meet in Wisconsin when she won the 1000 freestyle in a time of 10:04.28.

 “We are excited that Brittany chose to be a Cardinal next year.  She
is a hardworking, driven, and very motivated student-athlete.  Another
proven competitor” said Albiero.

“All of these women will be major contributors to the program, and
the expectation will certainly be high.  We will go to work and continue
to do what we have done best as a program: individual development.
There is clearly great potential in this class and this group of young
ladies will be the backbone of the program for years to come” said
Albiero.