The Nova Southeastern University swimming and diving program has announced the addition of 19 student-athletes for the upcoming 2014-15 season.
NSU has looked to reload its roster after graduating a whopping 17 seniors in the spring of 2014, representing the initial recruiting class when the program started in 2010. Head coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron and her staff had a busy recruiting season and added 12 male and seven female swimmers for the 2014-15 season.
"We have come full circle with completing our first four-year cycle of the program this past season," stated Bonewit-Cron. "It was my goal to not only replace our graduating senior class, but to build on the tradition that was established in our first year. We have a new class of athletes who are competition-ready and excited to begin training with our returning veterans. I am looking forward to the commitment level this year and our team coming together to be successful in the pool and in the classroom."
The women's recruiting class begins with Lindsay Craig, an incoming freshman from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Craig previously competed at the Verona Area HS and with the Badger Aquatic Club. She competes in freestyle, IM and butterfly events and most recently claimed 20th overall in the 200 free at the 2013 WIAA Championship. She was also a member of the fourth-place 400-yard freestyle relay team at that event.
Courtney DeVeny will begin her collegiate career after graduating from Estero HS in Estero, Florida. She also competed for the Gulf Coast Swim Team. While at Estero, DeVeney was a key competitor for a school that finished second at the 2013 FHSAA 2A Championship. There, she finished fifth in the 200 IM and ninth the 100-yard backstroke. She has also previously competed in the 500 free. Alexis Diaz will also come to NSU as a freshman after swimming at Belleview HS and the Central Florida Marlins swim club in Summerfield, Florida. A distance freestyle swimmer, Diaz claimed seventh overall at the 2013 FHSAA Championship in the 500 free.
Sydney Panzarino is a Bradenton, Florida native who swam at Lakewood Ranch HS and with the Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team. Panzarino wrapped up a successful high school career at Lakewood Ranch and helped her 400 free relay team claim sixth overall at the 2013 FHSAA 3A Championship. There, she also claimed 11th in both the 100 freestyle and backstroke events. Cedar Falls, Iowa native Catherine Sell has committed to NSU after a career at Cedar Falls HS and with the Black Hawk Area Swim Team. Individually, Sell notched two fifth-place finishes at the Iowa High School State Championship in the 200 IM and the 400 free relay. Her high school career was capped off with a fourth-place showing in the 200-yard medley relay.
Jordan Shows will travel across the country to attend NSU after graduating from Los Osos HS in Alta Loma, California and swimming for the Redlands Swim Team. A freestyle sprinter, Shows swam in both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle at the 2013 CIF SS where she claimed 13th and 12th, respectively. Joining Shows is Madison Yelle of Mansfield, Texas. Before committing to NSU, Yelle swam at Mansfield Legacy HS and with the Mansfield Aquatic Club. At the 2014 TISCA 4A Championship, Yelle finished in the top-15 in three events: the 100 free, 100-yard breaststroke and the 400 free relay. In 2013, she finished seventh at the same competition in the 500 free.
The men's class begins with Bryce Davidson, who will join the Sharks from New Iberia, Louisiana where he competed for Westgate HS and the City of Lafayette Aquatics club team. In 2013, Davidson was a runner up in the 200 free and the 100 fly at the LHSAA DII Championship.
Conor Hale comes to NSU from Raleigh, North Carolina where he attended Apex HS and swam with the Marlins of Raleigh. At the North Carolina 4A East Region meet, Hale finished third in the 100 breast and ninth in the 200 IM. He will also bring experience in the distance freestyle events. Stephen Klein is the Sharks' lone recruit out of New Mexico, where he attended La Cueva HS in Albuquerque. He also swam for the Lobo Aquatic Club. Klein brings a championship pedigree to NSU after becoming the New Mexico State Champion in the 200 IM and the runner up in the 500 free. Before the state finals, Klein was a junior national qualifier in the 400 IM.
Dalton Krencik joins the recruiting class after a high school career at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce, Florida. He also swam with Indian River Aquatics. Krencik was a state qualifier last year in both the 100 fly and 100 back events. He also guided his team to a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard free relay at the 2013 FHSAA 2A Championship. Anton Lobanov of Novosibirisk, Russia and the Novosibirsk Olympic Reserve School. Lobanov ranks 21st in the world this year in the 100 breast and holds Russia's seventh fastest time in the nation's history. His time in the 200 breast ranks sixth in Russian history. Lobanov has been an international success for Russia and guided the nation's 4x100 free relay team to the championship at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. He also competed on the 2014 Russian National Team at the European Championship.
Quentin Muffat will cross the Atlantic Ocean as well from Nice, France where he competed with Olympique Nice Natation. Muffat is a freestyle swimmer who is expected to compete in free events from 50 to 400 yards. Quentin is the younger brother of French Olympic gold medalist, Camille Muffat. Jean-David Rousseau, a native of Midland, Georgia, will transfer from Darton College. The distance swimmer had a successful run at the 2014 NJCAA Championship, claiming three top-10 finishes. He claimed third in the 1,650-yard free, seventh in the 400 IM and eighth in the 500 free.
Thomas Rutherford of North Port, Florida comes to NSU from North Port HS. There, he shined at the 2013 FHSAA 4A State Championship, claiming eighth in the 200 IM and 11th in the 100 fly. He was also a member of the Sarasota YMCA Sharks and qualified for the YMCA National meet. Rutherford is joined by Parker Sheppard of Mansfield, Texas. Sheppard swam at Mansfield Lake Ridge HS and was a teammate of Yelle with the Mansfield Aquatic Club. At this past season's Texas Region 2-4A meet, Sheppard claimed second in the 100 fly and fourth in the 200 IM.
Brazilian swimmer Thiago Sickert hails originally from Vila Velha, Brazil and also swam most recently for the Azura Florida Aquatic Club. This year, he ranks 98th in the world in the 100-yard LCM freestyle event. His 100 fly time of 47.07 also ranks 15th in Brazil this year. Aside from those events, Sickert is expected to make an impact in the sprint free events as well. Blake Woodrow joins NSU from Fort Myers, Florida and Fort Myers HS. He was a teammate of DeVeny on the Gulf Coast Swim Team. He was a finalist in the 500 free at the FHSAA 3A Championship and with his club team, he was a NCSA junior national qualifier.
Edward Zacka rounds out the entire recruiting class for NSU. He is also a former member of the Gulf Coast Swim Team and attended Estero HS alongside DeVeny. The Bonita Springs, Florida native was a NSCA junior national qualifier with GCST. For his high school, Zacka claimed third overall in the 500 free and 10th in the 200 free at the FHSAA 2A Championship.
