Washington State Swimming Announces 2022 Signing Class

Courtesy: WSU Cougars

PULLMAN, Wash. (December 6, 2021) – Washington State Women’s Swimming has signed eleven swimmers to join the program next season, head coach Matt Leach announced Monday.

The Cougars’ 2022 class is expected to be the highest-rated recruiting class in program history after six signees rank among the Top-300 swimming recruits in the world including two in the Top-45.

Dori Hathazi, out of Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, swims the butterfly, freestyle and IM for the Nyiregyhaza Sport club team and is rated the No. 22 recruit in the world in the 2022 class. Last month, Hathazi was the Hungarian Short Course National Champion in the 200 fly and later finished eighth in the 200 fly at the FINA Swimming World Cup held in Budapest and also finished seventh in the 100 fly at the 2019 European Junior Championships.

Top Times:
200 SCM Fly: 2:08.23
200 LCM Fly: 2:10.33
100 LCM Fly: 59.83

Coach Leach on Hathazi: “The Cougar Family is excited to welcome Dori to our family. Coach Kate and I have been so blessed to get to know Dori and her family. She is a true competitor and is one of our strongest additions to WSU Swimming in our history. Her 100 Butterfly and 200 Butterfly not only rank at the top of WSU’s history books, but will also contribute at Pac-12 level. We are so excited to see Dori continue to grow and compete at the highest level as a Coug!”

Emily Lundgren, out of Chula Vista, Calif., swims the breaststroke and IM for the SOL Swim Team and has  been named a Scholastic All-American three times by USA Swimming and twice been named the District Swimmer of the Year. This past November, the No. 12-rated swimming recruit out of California had an impressive showing at the USA Swimming IMX Games, winning the 500 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM. Last spring, Lundgren won the CIF San Diego Section championship in the 200 IM and 100 breast, won the 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM and 400 IM at the 2021 Speed Swimvitational and qualified for the 2021 Winter US Open.

Top Times:
100 SCY Breast: 1:00.96
200 SCY Breast: 2:13.48
200 SCY IM: 2:02.74

Coach Leach on Lundgren: “Emily is another great addition to program and family as she comes in and helps at the Pac-12 level.  She is right at the top of the WSU record books in her strongest events and I know she is excited to continue her rapid improvement in the water. Emily will be another great team player that will help her teammates reach new levels. Welcome to the Cougar Family, Emily!”

Giorgia Tononi, out of Brescia, Italy, swims freestyle and distance freestyle for GAM Team SSD-Brescia and is rated the No. 41 overall recruit in the 2022 class. Tononi won the gold medal in the 1500 Free at the Italian National Championships in August. She also took home the bronze medal at the same competition in the 400 and 800 Freestyle respectively.

Top Times:
800 LCM Free: 8:44.61
400 LCM Free: 4:14.53
1500 LCM Free: 16:46.28
200 LCM Free: 2:02.56

Coach Leach on Tononi: “It is so nice to welcome Giorgia, another Italian, to our Cougar family! Her upbeat energy is contagious and I am looking forward to seeing how her character helps build our Cougar Family for years to come. Giorgia will be an instant contributor in the 200 Freestyle, 500 Freestyle, 1000 Freestyle and 1650 Freestyle at the Pac-12 level. She is fresh off a national championship in the 1500 Freestyle in August.”

Lauren Wille, out of Oswego, Ill., swims the freestyle, IM and breaststroke for the Academy Bullets Swim Club. At the Illinois High School State Championships this past November, Wille finished second in the 200 free and fifth in the 100 free after winning both events in the Illinois Sectionals. Last month, the No. 13-rated swimming recruit out of Illinois finished seventh at the 100 breast at the IL FMC Senior Mid-Season Challenge Meet and last summer, Wille place second in the 200 IM and third in the 200 free.

Top Times:
200 SCY Free: 1:49.09
100 SCY Free: 50.78
200 SCY IM: 2:03.42
200 SCY Breast: 2:19.69

Coach Leach on Wille: “Lauren’s energy is such a great addition to our family! I can see her being the team mom, the team cheerleader but also being at the top of our depth charts in multiple events. She wants the Coug Family to be successful and is all about growing our family the right way. Lauren is very versatile as she can swim freestyle events both sprint and middle distance, along with breaststroke and IM events. Welcome to the Cougar Family, Lauren!”

Rebeca Oviedo Cardenas, out of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, swam the freestyle and distance free at Cal Baptist University and will arrive at WSU as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility. Oviedo Cardenas was named the 2018-19 WAC Freshman of the Year after winning WAC individual titles in the 200 free and 500 free and as sophomore was a member of the WAC Championship winning 800 free relay team. Last season, the two-time WAC All-Academic Team selected finished second in the 200 free and 500 free at the WAC Championships.

Top Times:
200 SCY Free: 1:48.28
500 SCY Free: 4:49.27
1000 SCY Free: 10:05.65
1650 SCY Free: 16:43.17

Coach Leach on Oviedo Cardenas: “Rebeca is a WAC Champion in the 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle along with a multiple time runner up in many different events at the WAC Championships.  Her character and personality will be a great addition along with her strong swimming background. Rebeca is our single graduate transfer and we are so excited to have her finish out her college career as a Coug!”

Anna Rauchholz, out of Portland, Ore., swims the backstroke and freestyle for The Dolphins Swim Team. This past summer at the OSI Arena Championships, the fourth-best swimming recruit out of Oregon won the 50 fly, placed second in the 50 back and 100 back and also placed fourth in the 200 back. The 2020 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American also placed seventh in the 100 back at the 2021 Speed Sectionals. In the 2020 Oregon 6A State Championships, Rauchholz won the 100 back and recently finished third in the 50 back at the Arizona Cactus Classic.

Top Times:
100 SCY Back: 54.60
200 SCY Back: 2:01.16

Coach Leach on Rauchholz: “Trying to continue to keep Pacific Northwest talent in the Pacific Northwest has always been our goal and we are excited to have Anna be a part of it!  She is going to be a great addition to our backstroke group specifically our sprint backstrokes. She comes from a strong club team and we look forward to seeing her grow and continue to contribute in our backstroke and freestyle groups along with contributing at the Pac-12 level.”

Kirsten De Goede, out of Duran, South Africa, swims the freestyle, butterfly and backstroke for the Seagulls Swimming Club. In the 2020 Durban Grand Prix Invitational, De Goede finished second in the 50 fly, third in the 50 free, third in the 100 free and fourth in the 100 fly.

Top Times:
100 LCM Free: 57.48
200 SCM Free: 2:01.67
50 LCM Free: 26.54

Coach Leach on De Goede: “Kirsten is a great team player, strong student and will be a strong contributor right away as she will be a great addition to our freestyle core. Adding another strong, tall sprinter will help our program continue to rewrite our school records. Welcome to our Cougar Family, Kirsten!”

Skylar Brgoch, out of Aurora, Colo., swims the butterfly and freestyle for the Aces Swim Club. Brgoch recently finished third in the 100 free and sixth in the 100 fly at the CO PPA Finals and last March won the 100 fly at the Centennial League Championships.

Top Times:
100 SCY Fly: 55.65
100 SCY Free: 53.16
50 SCY Free: 24.59

Coach Leach on Brgoch: “Skylar is a person that you want to be a part of your family.  She loves to talk about swimming, being a Coug and competing at the highest level.  Skylar has been dropping time in heaps every time she touches the water which is a testament to her work ethic and coaches back in Colorado.  She is a Coug through and through and I can’t wait for her to be a part of this family.”

Emily O’Brien, out of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., swims the backstroke and butterfly for the Mission Viejo Nadadores. O’Brien is a four-time Superintendents Honor Roll Top Scholar selection and two-time CIF D1 finalist.

Top Times:
200 SCY Back: 2:04.24
200 SCY Fly: 2:05.79
500 SCY Free: 5:06.67

Coach Leach on O’Brien:  “Emily comes from one of the strongest club teams in the country and we can’t wait for her to strengthen our backstroke and fly groups.  We look forward to welcoming her and her family to our Cougar Family.”

Elli Moss, out of Woodbury, Minn., swims the backstroke and IM for the South East Metro Sharks. Moss recently placed eighth in the 100 back in the IFLY Midwest Challenge and seventh in the 200 back at the USA Swimming Minnesota Long Course Senior State Championships.

Top Times:
100 SCY Back: 56.99
200 SCY Back: 2:00.62
50 SCY Free: 24.01

Coach Leach on Moss: “Elli is a welcomed addition to our backstroke and IM groups. Elli is going to be a diligent worker in the classroom, weight room and pool. Her background and her character will a great addition and I can’t wait for Elli to get to WSU. Welcome to the Coug Family, Elli!”

Clara Anderson, out of Moscow, Idaho, swims the freestyle and butterfly for the Cougar Aquatics club team and is second-best swimming recruit out of Idaho. At the Inland Empire Junior Olympics this past summer, Anderson won the 50 free and 100 free, finished second in the 200 free and third in the 100 fly.

Top Times:
50 SCY Free: 24.23
100 SCY Free: 52.76
200 SCY Free: 1:54.19
100 SCY Fly: 56.81

Coach Leach on Anderson: “We are excited to keep Clara on the Palouse! As a native of the area and coming from a family of runners, we are excited to have Clara join the Cougar family and really hone in on her swimming skills. Clara was a dual sport athlete in high school, fresh off at state championship in Cross Country and will be a great depth addition to our freestyle group! Welcome to the Coug Family, Clara!”