UMass men’s swimming and diving head coach Russ Yarworth has announced the signing of six newcomers for the 2016-17 season.
Reece Donohue (Hopkinton, Mass.), T.C. Gowdy (Beverly Farms, Mass.), Harry Ortof (Bayside, N.Y.), Ryan Pedrick (Delran, N.J.), Max Robertson, Wilmette, Ill.), and Johnny Williams (Northampton, Mass.) have all signed National Letters of Intent with the Minutemen during the early November signing period.
“This group of athletes will serve to re-load our distance, breaststroke, and sprinting corps as we move forward in working to maintain our strength and success in the Atlantic 10 Conference,” said Yarworth.
Donohue will be a strong addition to Mandy Hixon’s diving program as he is a three-time USA Diving Regional and Zone Championships qualifier over the past three seasons. At Hopkinton High School, he won the Massachusetts State Championship title as a sophomore, placed second as a freshman and was fourth last year as a junior. He is a senior captain who holds the all-time program records for high scores in six dives (349.35) and 11 dives (500.17). His honors include Tri-Valley League Diver of the Year, Team MVP, the Boston Globe All-Scholastic team honors, and selection to the Boston Globe and Metro West All-Star and Super Teams.
Donohue also competes for the Charles River National Diving Team where he has posted third and sixth place finishes on the one-meter and three-meter boards at the 2015 AAU Red, White and Blue National Diving Championship.
“Reece brings a great attitude and good talent to our program,” said Hixon. “We are looking forward to him contributing to the success and tradition of UMass diving.”
Gowdy swims for St. John’s Prep and the North Shore YMCA where he specializes in the breastroke and individual medley. He helped St. John’s to a Division I State Finalist finish and finished individually in the B Final of the 200 breaststroke at the recent YMCA Long Course Nationals. His time in the event qualified him for the upcoming USA Swimming Winter Juniors competition.
“As a junior national qualifier, T.C. is going to have an immediate impact on our breaststroke and IM,” said Yarworth. “A two-year team captain at St. John’s Prep, he is a great leader as well.”
Ortof will add strength to the UMass distance freestylers as he has a strong prep career in the events. He has competed in the NSCA Junior Nationals in the 500; 1,000; and 1,500 freestyle events along with the Eastern Zone Long Course Senior Championships. He currently holds top times of 4:43.71 in the 500 free, 9:39.07 in the 1,000 free and 16:08.34 in the 1,650 free.
“Harry swims for his father, the legendary Rob Ortof, at the Long Island Express,” said Yarworth. “He’s a superb distance swimmer with a Junior National qualifying time in the 1,500 free. As he gets stronger over the next few years, he will continue developing his shorter events as well. We’re really looking forward to him continuing our distance tradition at UMass.”
Pedrick will join the Minutemen focusing on the sprint freestyle events. He is currently a member of the Delran High School team along with the YMCA Phoenix Swim Team under the direction of Chris Brookover. Pedrick currently holds long course records for Phoenix in the 50 free (24.29 seconds), the 100 free (53.98) and the 400 free relay.
“With a 6-foot-6 frame, Ryan has they physical make-up along with the skill to develop into an elite sprinter,” said Yarworth. “We’re very excited to have him joining e program!” Robertson will come to UMass after a successful prep career with New Trier High School as well as the New Trier Swim Club. At the 2015 IHSA State Swimming and Diving Championship, Robertson placed fourth in the 500 free (4:36.98) and 18th in the 200 individual medley (1:56.20). Several of his current times would have him scoring or medaling at the Atlantic 10 Championships.
“Max has a beautiful relaxed ride in the water and has all sorts of versatility,” said Yarworth. “He should be an impactful swimmer as he develops his abilities over the new few years.”
Originally from Las Vegas, Williams moved to Northampton in 2014 where he swam for Northampton High School where he is the 100 butterfly record holder and won the Western Massachusetts title last February. He finished third at the Massachusetts State Division 2 Championship in the 100 fly and won the C-Final in the 50 butterfly at this past summer’s YMCA Long Course National Championships.
Even more amazing for Williams success is the fact that at age 5 he was diagnosed with Perthes condition which required numerous surgeries including bone graphs, screws, plates and hinges. He was wheel chair bound surrounding the surgeries and grew up swimming without using his legs due to the condition.
“Already an elite underwater swimmer, Johnny is going to be an excellent sprint freestyler and butterflyer for the Minutemen,” said Yarworth.
