Oklahoma Christian’s inaugural men’s swimming team is taking shape, as coach Josh Davis on Saturday announced the signing of 27 athletes.
“I can’t wait to start working with this first-ever freshman class of OC swimming Eagles in the fall of 2017,” Davis said. “My goal was to get 10 men and 10 women who want to work hard, swim fast and develop into leaders in and out of the pool. Well, we got the 10 women and we got more than 30 men. I think that might be one of the biggest freshman male classes ever!
“This is great for the swimmers from Oklahoma so that their friends and family will be able to watch them compete over their next four years. I’m also really excited about the swimmers from other states like Washington, West Virginia, Arkansas, Nebraska, Delaware, Tennessee, Louisiana and Kansas, who are coming to make OC their second home and enjoy the great quality of college life we have to offer.
“And, of course, as a native Texan I’m proud that about half our roster is from the great swimming state of Texas, and several from near where I grew up in San Antonio. OC is by far the most Texas friendly school in Oklahoma!”
The Eagles will begin competition with the 2017-18 season. Included on the first OC roster will be:
— Nathan Anderson of Broken Arrow (Mingo Valley Christian School), who will swim the breaststroke and freestyle strokes;
— Andrew Assaleh of Oklahoma City (Putnam City North High School), who will swim the breaststroke and butterfly;
— Justin Bishop of Martinsburg, W.Va. (Martinsburg High School), who will swim the freestyle;
— Caine Brogan of San Antonio (Holmes High School), who will swim the freestyle and breaststroke;
— Caleb Brown of New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels High School), who will swim the breaststroke and freestyle;
— Jimmy Burke of Deer Park, Texas, who will swim the freestyle;
— Griffen Cornell of San Antonio (Holmes High School), who will swim freestyle and butterfly;
— Derek Duckworth of New Braunfels, Texas (Canyon High School), who will swim freestyle and butterfly;
— Ian Galindo of Scottsbluff, Neb. (Scottsbluff High School), who will swim freestyle and individual medley;
— Jalum Goodman of Oklahoma City (Putnam City North High School), who will swim the freestyle and breaststroke;
— Kurt Gscheidle of Lantana, Texas (Denton Guyer High School), who will swim the freestyle and butterfly;
— Zac Hawes of Houston (Cypress Creek High School), who will swim the breaststroke and individual medley;
— Brandon Hundley of San Antonio (Churchill High School), who will swim the freestyle and individual medley;
— Dylan Ingram of Leander, Texas (Rouse High School), who will swim the freestyle and breaststroke;
— Ryan Jennings of Keller, Texas (Covenant Christian Academy), who will swim the individual medley and freestyle;
— Warren Kokott of Bixby (Bixby High School), who will swim the freestyle;
— Jonah Munsell of Pampa, Texas (Pampa High School), who will swim the freestyle and breaststroke;
— Brandon Putman of Oklahoma City (Carl Albert High School), who will swim the freestyle and individual medley;
— Jordan Riley of Owasso (Owasso High School), who will swim the freestyle;
— Ian Chism Ryals of Mandeville, La. (Mandeville High School), who will swim the breaststroke;
— Ethan Reed of Bear, Del. (Glasgow High School), who will swim the freestyle and butterfly;
— Joshua Sellers of Broken Arrow, who will swim the freestyle and butterfly;
— Carter Shelton of Jackson, Tenn. (HomeLife Academy), who will swim the freestyle and backstroke;
— Ruger Stocking of Whitehouse, Texas (Whitehouse High School), who will swim the butterfly;
— Zachary Taylor of Fort Gibson (Fort Gibson High School), who will swim the freestyle;
— Luke Ward of Wichita Falls, Texas (Rider High School), who will swim the freestyle;
— Micah Young of Olympia, Wash. (Sunrise Beach High School/Capital High School), who will swim the freestyle and individual medley.
They will join Brittan Butler of Siloam Springs, Ark., and Daniel Rutledge of Colleyville, Texas, who signed with OC last November. Davis said he expects more swimmers to sign in the coming months.
“This inaugural freshman class is very special in their desire, work ethic and potential,” Davis said. “We look forward to forming some fun rivalries with other Division II schools in this five-state region. We have a great mix of athletes who are excited to keep their swim career going and we have some who will be qualifying for the NCAA Championships and, most likely, Olympic Trials by their senior year.”
News courtesy of Oklahoma Christian Athletics.
