Emory’s women are touted for their sprint prowess, but even a powerful sprint team needs talented endurance based athletes. Maria Turcanu gave her excited commitment to Emory saying, “I decided to commit to Emory because of the many opportunities I would have in and out of the pool. I feel honored to be joining their team and I can’t wait to embark on this journey.”
As a freshman at St Stephens, Turcanu qualified for regionals in the 100 breaststroke, 200 IM, 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle, as well as on the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays – a testament to her versatility. In the 2014-15 season, Turcanu claimed runner up in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events at the NCHSAA 3A State Championships, as well as helping her team to a 6th place finish in the 200 medley relay and a 5th place in the 400 freestyle relay.
Going into this season, Turcanu’s best times are as follows:
- 10:18.63 1000 Freestyle
- 1:51.82 200 Freestyle
- 4:27.61 400 IM
- 2:06.44 200 Butterfly
- 4:58.40 500 Freestyle
- 2:23.32 200 Breaststroke
- 17:27.77 1650 Freestyle
- 2:08.61 200 IM
The Emory Eagles have won the past six Division III NCAA Championship titles. The program has a total of eight first place finishes, and has consistently distinguished itself as one of the leading Division III powerhouses in swimming.
If Emory is a D3 school, how did she commit? Is Emory different from schools like MIT and Hopkins?
Commitments to Division III schools are “just” announcements. There’s no fanfare, no signing – it’s just the word of the athlete to the institution.
That being said, it still seems appropriate to give a committed athlete a little time in the sunshine for picking an excellent institution with a stellar program.
Welcome to the Eagles Swimming Family, Maria!