Little Rock swimming and diving head coach Amy Burgess has announced the addition of five new members to her team for the 2015-16 season, bringing the total class number to seven.
"We are thrilled to add five more freshmen this fall to our Little Rock family," Burgess said. "These future Trojans are going to make an immediate impact in our program."
The first addition is Laura Ruiz Astorga from Madrid, Spain. Ruiz Astorga earned a third-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke in the 2012 national games. She has had several gold- and silver-medal performances in Madrid's championship backstroke and freestyle events. Ruiz Astorga earned a fourth-place finish in the finals of the 200-yard backstroke at the 2014 Southeastern Swimming Championships. In addition to her hard work in the pool, Ruiz Astorga holds a certificate of excellence from Brentwood High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. She also competed on the club level with Excel Aquatics and C.C. Mirasierra.
"Laura is going to add depth in our backstroke events, and we are excited to see what she does in the sprint freestyle events as well," Burgess said.
The second newcomer to Little Rock is Chelsea Ebert, a 2015 graduate of Kingwood Park High School in Kingwood, Texas. Ebert has won All-District, All-State, and All-Region honors for her performances in the pool. Ebert was named to the 2014 Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association's All-State 5A First Team for her performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:39.83. Ebert also earned Second Team honors for the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:39.89. Ebert also competed on the club level with Bluetide Aquatics. In addition to athletics, Ebert is a member of a math honor society.
Little Rock's third addition is Kara Knapschaefer also from Kingwood, Texas. Like Ebert, Knapschaefer swam at Kingwood Park High School. Knapschaefer was named to the All-District Team, All-Region team and All-State Team in each season from 2013 to 2015. She was named to the 2014 Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association's All-State 5A First Team for her performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:39.83. Knapschaefer also earned Second Team honors for the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:51.81. Knapschaefer is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Charity League.
"Chelsea and Kara are a strong duo who will add great depth to our sprint free events," Burgess said. "I'm excited to watch these two develop, and I see lots of potential."
The fourth addition for Little Rock is Ann Kharlamova from Cherepovets, Russia. Kharlamova swam for coach Alexander Kuznetsov in 2012-13 and 2014-15 in Russia and was named the regional champion each year. For the 2013-14 academic year, Kharlamova swam for head coach Carl Auel at Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas. She was named the Most Valuable Swimmer in 2014 and was the regional champion in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. Kharlamova holds the Texas High School record in the 200-yard freestyle and helped the team earn a new school record and a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay at the 2013 University Interscholastic League's Swimming and Diving Playoffs. Academically, Kharlamova graduated with honors from School 26 in Cherepovets and is a Future Leaders Exchange Scholar.
"Ann is another exciting addition to our sprint group," Burgess said. "With a year of experience swimming at Texas High School, we're excited she has some experience swimming in the states under her belt."
The Trojans' final addition is Imre van Huyssteen from Paarl, South Africa. At Paarl Gymnasium High School, van Huyssteen was the captain of the swim team and holds various high school swimming records. She was award Swimmer of the Year for three consecutive years and obtained various medals at the Western Province Age-Group Championships. van Huyssteen competed at the South African National Youth Championship for four straight years and obtained gold and bronze medals in the the breaststroke and individual medley events. She received full Western Province Senior Colours in 2014.
"Imre will help in the breaststroke events, particularly with sprints, and we are eager to see where else she can contribute," Burgess said.
