Swimcloud

Michigan Signs 12

University of Michigan men's swimming and diving head coach Mike Bottom announced on Friday (Nov. 21) the signings of six prep standouts (five swimmers, one diver) to National Letters of Intent for the 2015-16 year. They include swimmers Mokhtar Al-Yamani (Tokyo, Japan/St. Mary's International), Javier Barrena (Madrid, Spain/The Bolles School [Fla.]), Stephen Holmquist (Wilton, Conn./Wilton), Blake Maczka (Richardson, Texas/Pearce) and Jordan Ross (Roswell, Ga./Roswell) and diver Collin DeShaw (Holland, Mich./West Holland).

"This is a small class, but it is one that has great potential," Bottom said. "All of these young men are capable of contributing in several areas and will help strengthen our team's culture both in and out of the pool. We can't wait to get them on campus."

Al-Yamani is a sprint freestyler from Tokyo, Japan, who currently swims at St. Mary's International School. It is the same school that produced current Michigan senior Bruno Ortiz and former swimmers Miguel Ortiz (2010-13) and Ryutaro Kamiya (2011-14). In Japan, Al-Yamani has won National Age Group (NAG) championships in the 13-14 and 15-16 groups.

Al-Yamani Top Times: 23.96 LCM in 50 Freestyle, 52.20 LCM in 100 Freestyle, 1:53.10 LCM in 200 Freestyle

Barrena is a multi-event swimmer from Madrid, Spain, who currently attends and swims at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. He swims internationally for Spain, winning the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter butterfly at last year's Spanish Junior National Championships. At the 2013 Speedo Winter Junior National Championships, Barrena was seventh in the 100-yard butterfly (48.67) and 17th in the 200-yard butterfly (1:47.60). He earned back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 100-yard butterfly at the Florida 1A State Championships as a junior and senior, while also finishing third in the 200-yard IM as a senior.

Barrena Top Times: 55.41 LCM/48.67 SCY in 100 Butterfly, 2:01.63 LCM/1:47.60 SCY in 200 Butterfly, 2:06.45 LCM/1:51.65 SCY in 200 IM

Holmquist is a distance freestyle swimmer from Wilton, Conn., who attends Wilton High School and trains with the Wilton YMCA Wahoos Swim Club. He comes from the same club as current freshman Ian Rainey. At the 2013 YMCA Long Course National Championships, Holmquist won the 800-meter freestyle (8:23.37), took second to Rainey in the 1,500-meter freestyle (16:07.02), while also taking fourth in the 400-meter IM (4:34.07) and 12th in the 400-meter freestyle (4:04.10). At the 2014 Speedo Junior Nationals, Holmquist was sixth in the 1,500-meter freestyle (15:41.42), 18th in the 800-meter freestyle (8:17.21) and 20th in both the 400-meter freestyle (3:59.35) and 400-meter IM (4:27.35). In addition, his father, Peter, swam for Michigan (1984).

Holmquist Top Times: 3:59.21 LCM/4:29.80 SCY in 400/500 Freestyle, 8:17.21 LCM/9:13.81 SCY in 800/1,000 Freestyle, 15:41.42 LCM/15:24.09 SCY in 1,500/1,650 Freestyle, 4:27.35 LCM/3:54.03 SCY in 400 IM

Maczka is a distance freestyle swimmer from Richardson, Texas, who attends Pearce High School and trains with the City of Richardson Swim Team. At the 2014 NCSA Junior National Championships, he finished fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15:16.44), eighth in the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:09.47) and 11th in the 500-yard freestyle (4:27.75). He also finished 22nd in the 800-meter freestyle (8:09.16) and 28th in the 1,500-meter freestyle (15:36.10) at the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships. Maczka was runner-up for the 500-yard freestyle (4:26.74) at the 2013-14 Texas 5A State Championships.

Maczka Top Times: 4:04.24 LCM/4:26.74 SCY in 400/500 Freestyle, 8:09.16 LCM/9:09.47 SCY in 800/1,000 Freestyle, 15:36.10 LCM/15:16.44 SCY in 1,500/1,650 Freestyle

Ross is a multi-event swimmer from Roswell, Ga., who attends Roswell High School and trains with Swim Atlanta. At the 2014 NCSA Junior National Championships, Ross was sixth in the 200-yard backstroke (1:45.66) and 12th in the 100-yard backstroke (49.55). He finished sixth in the 100-yard freestyle (46.50) at the 2013-14 Georgia 6A State Championships. At the 2014 Speedo Junior Nationals, Ross was 24th in the 200-meter backstroke (2:05.80).

Ross Top Times: 25.23 LCM/21.58 SCY in 50 Freestyle, 51.96 LCM/46.50 SCY in 100 Freestyle, 1:56.20 LCM/1:39.38 SCY in 200 Freestyle, 58.89 LCM/49.33 SCY in 100 Backstroke, 2:04.50 LCM/1:45.66 SCY in 200 Backstroke

DeShaw, the only diver in the class, is from Holland, Mich., attends West Holland High School and dives with the Grand Rapids Diving Club. Last year, he was an All-State selection, and was named both Michigan Diver of the Year (for the 18-19 Boys Age Group) and Zone 5 Diver of the Year. He is also a two-time All-American and a two-time All-Conference selection. One of his best national events came at the 2014 USA Diving Summer Junior Region 4 Championships, where he finished 11th on one-meter (392.70) and 13th on three-meter (399.60). Deshaw was also a defensive back on the West Holland football team.

Five student-athletes (three swimmers, two divers) will see their eligibility expire at the end of the year: Ortiz, Kevin Bain, Thomas Jahnke, Richard Funk and Justin Glanda.

 

Head coach Mike Bottom of the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team announced today (Friday, Nov. 21) that six student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Maize and Blue beginning in the 2015-16 academic year. The incoming class consists of Catie DeLoof (Grosse Pointe, Mich./Grosse Pointe South), Katherine Duggan (Windemere, Fla./Lake Highland Prep), Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong, China/ St. Paul's Secondary School), Becca Postoll (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic), Astrid Swensen (Beverly, Ma./Beverly) and Jamie Yeung (Hong Kong, China/Hong Kong International School).

"This is an outstanding group of student-athletes who have shown their commitment to becoming the leaders and best," said Bottom. "Individually, they all come in with fantastic resumes, and we believe they are well-suited to fit into Michigan's culture of swimming. This is a diverse and versatile group with the potential to make an impact. My coaching staff and I are excited to have this group join us in Ann Arbor next fall and help them grow."

Catie DeLoof • Grosse Pointe, Michigan • Grosse Pointe South • Freestyle/Backstroke

DeLoof is a sprinter and backstroker whose name is becoming familiar to collegiate swim fans. Her older sisters Ali and Gabby are current members of the Michigan women's swimming and diving team. Catie is ranked No. 6 in the state of Michigan by collegeswimming.com. She trains with Pointe Aquatics and is a member of the Grosse Pointe South varsity swimming team. In 2012, she won the Division II state championship in the 50-yard freestyle. This past summer, she qualified for the USA Swimming Summer Nationals.

Top Times
23.60 in the 50-yard freestyle 
50.80 in the 100-yard freestyle
57.72 in the 100-yard backstroke

Katherine Duggan • Windemere, Fla. • Lake Highland Prep School • Distance

Duggan is a distance specialist who currently trains with the Highlander Aquatic Club in Orlando, Fla. She has also delivered some great times in the 200-yard backstroke. She recently won her second consecutive Division 1A state championship in the 500-yard freestyle, going 4:46.05. Collegeswimming.com ranks Duggan the 12th best recruit in Florida in this incoming class. This summer, she raced at the Speedo Junior National Championships.

Top Times
1:48.94 in the 200-yard freestyle
4:46.05 in the 500-yard freestyle
16:33.04 in the 1,650-yard freestyle
1:58.68 in the 200-yard backstroke

Siobhan Haughey • Hong Kong, China • St. Paul's Secondary School • Freestyle

Haughey, along with fellow incoming recruit Jamie Yeung, continue an impressive steak of international swimmers who have chosen Michigan in the last few years. She is a member of Hong Kong's national team and is regarded as one of the top sprinters in her age group in the world. She took gold in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2013 World Junior Championships at 54.47. She also claimed a bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle. At the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, she placed second in the 100-meter freestyle and fifth in the 50-free. Haughey anchored Hong Kong's bronze medal 400-meter freestyle relay at the 2014 Asian Games.

Top Times
25.38 in the 50-meter freestyle
54.47 in the 100-meter freestyle

Becca Postoll • Charlotte, N.C. • Charlotte Catholic • Freestyle

Postoll is ranked the No. 4 incoming recruit in the state of North Carolina by collegeswimming.com and the 63rd overall. She currently trains at SwimMAC Carolina, where current men's freshman Paul Powers trained. With SwimMAC, she has been a part of four National Age Group record setting relays. Swimming for Charlotte Catholic, she placed second in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyles at the North Carolina 1A and 2A high school state championships. Before moving to North Carolina in the middle of high school, she won four state championships in Georgia. As a 15 year-old, Postoll was a 2012 Olympic Trials qualifier.

Top Times
49.91 in the 100-yard freestyle
1:47.37 in the 200-yard freestyle
4:48.49 in the 500-yard freestyle
56.44 in the 100-yard backstroke

Astrid Swensen • Beverly, Mass. • Beverly • Butterfly

Collegeswimming.com ranks Swensen as the No. 2 incoming recruit from the state of Massachusetts. She competes for YMCA of the North Shore when not racing for Beverly High School. This summer, Swensen clocked three top-10 finishes at the National YMCA Short Course Championships, including a third-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly. She is the reigning Massachusetts Division 1 100-yard butterfly state champion and meet record holder. Swensen was also a 2012 Olympic Trials qualifier.

Top Times
54.62 in the 100-yard butterfly
1:57.87 in the 200-yard butterfly
2:04.70 in the 200-yard IM

Jamie Yeung • Hong Kong, China • Hong Kong International School • Breaststroke

Yeung will join follow Hong Kong native Haughey in Ann Arbor next fall, and like Haughey, she is a part of the Hong Kong National Team system. At the 2013 Youth Asian Games, Yeung claimed bronze medals in both the 100 and 200-meter breaststrokes. This past summer she competed at both the Asian Games and the Youth Olympics.

Top Times
1:11.31 in the 100-meter breaststroke
2:34.80 in the 200-meter breaststroke

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