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James Madison University women’s swimming and diving team has received two verbal commitments in its effort to climb to the top of the rankings in the Colonial Athletic Association. After the earlier commitments of Emma Gourdie and Kristie Darmody, the Dukes have now picked up swimmer MacKenzie Gring from Reading, Pennsylvania, and diver Hope Byrum from Charlotte, North Carolina.
MacKenzie Gring
Gring swims for the Reading and Berks County YMCA and Muhlenberg High School. A sprinter at heart, Gring placed 11th in the 50 free and 13th in the 100 back at the 2015 PIAA Girls AAA Swimming & Diving Championships. She is a multiple qualifier for YMCA Nationals, both long course and short course, and her best times are:
| SCY | LCM | |
| 50 free | 23.68 | 28.33 |
| 100 free | 52.81 | 1:00.95 |
| 50 back | 32.42 | |
| 100 back | 57.16 | 1:07.03 |
| 200 back | 2:04.03 | |
| 100 fly | 59.01 | 1:08.46 |
Gring’s top 50 free time would have qualified her for the “B” final at 2015 CAA Championships; she wouldn’t have been far off earning a second swim in the two-heat championship format of the CAA in the 100 free, 100 back, and 200 back.
Hope Byrum
Byrum is a senior at Providence Senior High School in Charlotte, where she is on the swimming and diving team with future JMU teammate Darmody. Byrum came in fourth in 1-meter diving at the 2015 NCHSAA 4A State Championships, scoring 418.35 points.
Byrum was recently named the Promote the Youth Scholar Athlete of the Month. The Promote the Youth Foundation had this to say about her: “Hope has demonstrated a resilient attitude toward her studies and training as well as been a big presence in the Charlotte community. These qualities have allowed Hope to become a highly touted athlete with multiple Universities pursuing her for her ability on the diving board. What makes Hope so special is her willingness to go above and beyond inside the classroom and the South Charlotte community. For those reasons; we are extremely excited to award Hope with the very first Promote the Youth Scholar Athlete of the Month Award. Congratulations Hope Byrum!”
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