Additional Info:Sprint Free - “John has a great deal of upside as he is relatively new to the sport. He has an athletic build and has excelled in other sports,” said Dorenkott. “John continues a tradition at both the university and within our program of multiple siblings matriculating in Happy Valley.”
Capparell, James
Hometown:Bridgewater, NJ
Swim Club:Scarlet Aquatics
Additional Info:Free - “James and his family really clicked with Penn State when they were up for his official visit,” Dorenkott explained. “He is a terrific fit for what we are putting together here, which is looking for not just the fastest athletes but also the best people. James is going to be a multiple event contributor at the Big Ten level as a freshman.”
Capretto, Colby
Hometown:Oakmont, PA
Swim Club:Shady-Side Academy
Additional Info:Sprint - Father Bob was a Nittany Lion football letterman from 1966-67. “Colby has an infectious smile and a can-do attitude,” said Dorenkott. “I like the fact that she is a student of the sport and eager to improve. I told her that the only way I wanted her to come here was if she felt that she could blaze her own path and leave her own unique footprint on our university and program and she certainly has the positive attitude that she can do that.”
Cox, Matthew
Hometown:Radnor, PA
Swim Club:Germantown Academy
Additional Info:Free/Fly/IM - “We recruited Matt very late in the fall after Dick Shoulberg recommended him,” Dorenkott recalled. “I watched Matt race at the Middle Atlantic Championships this past past summer where he had some very good time drops. I like the fact that Germantown kids come to us well prepared both academically and athletically. I would not be surprised to see Matt sub 1:50 in the fly and sub 4:00 in the IM very soon.”
Edgin, Matthew
Hometown:Columbus, OH
Swim Club:Upper Arlington Swim Club
Additional Info:Fly/Free- “Matt comes from a very strong program where his coach continues to churn out fast swimmers,” said Dorenkott. “He is a well mannered and conscientious young man who has a desire to be special. He is a very strong kicker with good underwater speed. Matt will be a much needed contributor in the butterfly for the next four years.”
Francis, James
Hometown:Wethersfield, CT
Swim Club:Laurel East Hartford YMCA
Additional Info:Fly/Free/Back - “Like many of our current and former student-athletes, James will continue to get faster for the next four years,” said Dorenkott. “We enjoy finding and working with swimmers who have a steep rate of improvement and the patience to understand that fast swimming takes time. I also like the fact that James can swim a myriad of different events and I am not entirely sure what his forte will be in college.”
Greco, Diana
Hometown:West Chester, PA
Swim Club:Suburban Swim Club
Additional Info:Free - “Diana has the physical tools to be very fast and also has impeccable technique, which can be attributed to her coach,” Dorenkott explained. “I believe her ability to communicate with our coaches was the different in her choosing Penn State.”
Harley, Peter
Hometown:Westfield, NJ
Swim Club:Berkeley Aquatic Club
Additional Info:Distance Junior Qualifier - “P.J. checked us out this fall and his coach really sold us by talking about his character and work ethic. He currently has Junior National time standards and will benefit by working in a distance group that is among the strongest in the country,” Dorenkott explained.
McCormick, Kenny
Hometown:West Chester, PA
Swim Club:Golden Rams Aquatics
Additional Info:Fly/Free/IM - “Kenny is work ethic driven swimmer from a very strong family,” complimented Dorenkott. “Both parents are educators and were strongly in favor of Penn State after touring our Morgan Academic Support Center. I will have a sales job to do with Kenny convincing him that he is going to be an outstanding 200 butterflyer and 400 IM’er as he prefers the shorter stuff.”
Park, Jin
Hometown:Princeton, NJ
Swim Club:Peddie Aquatic Association
Additional Info:Free/Fly - “Jin enjoys the social aspect of being on a team and felt a part of our men’s team as soon as he stepped on campus,” an excited Dorenkott explained. “He is good friends with Matt Bright from his club days and we feel fortunate to have Him coming to Penn State. I am not sure he knows how good he can be in the future. If he chooses to reach his potential, then he will be swimming on the international stage soon.”
Peart, Ryan
Hometown:Green Lane, PA
Swim Club:Germantown Academy
Additional Info:Breast - “Our goal in putting together a team is to find individuals who possess characteristics, aside from talent, that we believe are important at Penn State. Ryan is the type of individual from the type of family that we enjoy being around on a daily and yearly basis. We are grateful to have two Germantown Academy kids in the same class choose Penn State,” praised Dorenkott.
Smart, Lauren
Hometown:Langhorne, PA
Additional Info:Back - “Lauren is a delightful young lady with a great deal to offer to our program,” Dorenkott complimented. “We feel strongly that Lauren is going to be another in a long line of Penn State backstrokers who have experienced significant improvement and success. I love it when unheralded Pennsylvania swimmers come to Penn State and really shine during their four years. We have experienced much of our team successes as a result of kids like Lauren.”
Young, Alex
Hometown:Carmel, IN
Swim Club:Carmel Swim Club
Additional Info:500 Free-5:00.59 100 Fly-56.59
Young, Alexandra
Hometown:Carmel, IN
Swim Club:Carmel Swim Club
Additional Info:Fly - “Alex’s club coach felt that her personality and training strengths lent themselves to our program. I have a lot of respect for both her coach and the program he runs so it was really a no-brainer to ask Alex to join us,” said Dorenkott. “I am confident that Alex is going to set herself apart as a Nittany Lion in the future.”
Zierenberg, Jack
Hometown:Allison Park, PA
Swim Club:JCC Sailfish
Additional Info:Free/Fly- "Jack comes to us from one of Pennsylvania’s finest coaches and is the first Jewish Community Center kid we have signed in a while, which we are very excited about. Like a number of our incoming class members, Jack can swim many different events and can swim then all well,” said Dorenkott.
