KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – – Truman State University head men’s and women’s swimming coach Ed Pretre has announced the addition of 16 student-athletes (seven women, nine men) for the upcoming 2014-15 season.
Pretre, who will be entering his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldog programs in 2014-15, brings in a decorated first-year class, including state champions in two different states, along with high finishers in the NSCA Junior National Championships. He is joined on staff by full-time assistant coachJessica Hessel.
“We are extremely excited about this class and the future of Truman swimming,” Pretre said. “Each year we have been able to raise the bar, and next year will be a fun year to watch and see how much we have grown. On both the men’s and women’s sides, we have reached a level where scoring at the NCAA meet is the expectation. Now it’s a matter of climbing the charts. We are losing a valuable senior class but their impact will be felt next year with their involvement of shaping this team into what it is today.”
The 16 student-athletes hail from six combined states, including seven from the state of Missouri. Three join from both Illinois and Nebraska, while Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas each send one to Kirksville.
Coach Pretre on women’s signees: “Our staff has done a good job of adding great depth to our program on the women’s side. This year, we went and focused on bringing in high talent swimmers in the sprint events and grabbing some much-needed depth.”
Kortney Betz (Columbia, Mo.; Rock Bridge HS)
Specializes in sprint and middle distance freestyle 50 free (24.77) 100 free (53.61) 200 free (1:53.73) 500 free (5:06.87).
Pretre- “There is more than meets the eye with Kortney. She is more than just a freestyler and we are looking forward to seeing what she can do at Truman.”
Jamie Fitzpatrick (Kirkwood, Mo.; Kirkwood HS)
Specializes in sprint freestyle 50 free (23.99) 100 free (52.34) 200 free (1:53.73) 100 fly (59.24) 100 back (59.64).
Pretre- “Jamie is going to step in and be one of our top swimmers from the start. She has the ability to qualify and score at the NCAA meet all four years”
Grace Fodor (Bartlesville, Okla.; Bartlesville HS)
Specializes in sprint freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly 50 free (24.69) 100 free (52.80) 200 free (1:55.33) 100 back (57.85) 200 back (2:06.07) 100 fly (57.90).
Pretre- “Grace has a lot of potential in so many events. She is a great sprinter with excellent underwater kicking, and she will have the potential to become outstanding for our program during her four years at Truman. Grace joins Jamie and Nikki as our third sub-53 second 100 freestyler who will have an impact on getting our relays to NCAAs.”
Loriel Hutchinson (St. Charles, Ill.; St. Charles North HS)
Specializes in sprint free and butterfly 50 free (24.21) 100 free (53.99) 100 fly (1:00.81).
Pretre- “Loriel has tons of untapped potential. Once we change a few stroke mechanics help her understand how to feel the water, she’s going to take off.”
Jasmine Roghair (Iowa City, Iowa; West HS)
Specializes in mid distance freestyle and distance freestyle 200 free (1:57.17) 500 free (5:10.57) 100 free (10:48.20) 1650 free (17:53.97).
Pretre- “Jasmine gives us much needed depth in the distance events. We are extremely excited about her coming to Truman and helping our team.”
Libby Opfer (Springfield, Ill.; Springfield HS)
Specializes in sprint freestyle and butterfly 50 free (24.7) 100 free (53.63) 100 fly (58.93) 200 fly (2:10.63).
Pretre- “Libby will bring an excellent work ethic and attitude to our team next year. We originally recruited her for depth in the free events, but we are getting so much more than that. Having only swam the 200 fly three times in her life, it looks like there is a huge upside with her to improve.”
Nikki Sisson (Springfield, Mo.; Glendale HS)
Specializes in sprint freestyle 50 free (23.56) 100 free (51.47) 200 free (1:54.07) 200 IM (2:08.61).
Pretre- “Along with Jamie, Nikki will immediately be one of our top sprinters and we see her being able to be a four year NCAA scorer.”
Coach Pretre on men’s signees: “This past season, we struggled in the mid-distance and distance events. Starting next year, it will be one of our strong points. We have tons of depth now to the point where we have the flexibility to move swimmers around in different events.”
Riley Brown (Chesterfield, Mo.; Parkway Central HS)
Specializes in middle distance freestyle, backstroke and butterfly 200 free (1:45.58) 100 back (52.19) 200 back (1:54.19) 100 fly (51.43) 200 fly (1:56.56).
Pretre- “Riley brings incredible versatility to the men’s team, and we will be able to plug him in wherever needed. He will be a three event scorer at our conference meet that we can depend on.”
Jeffrey Cavanaugh (Papillion, Neb.; Papillion-LaVista HS)
Specializes in mid distance freestyle and distance freestyle 200 free (1:48.05) 500 free (4:49.33) 1650 free (17:09.94).
Pretre- “Jeff has only been swimming on the club level for a few years. Once he really adapts to college swimming, his potential is unlimited.”
Justin Kozol (Omaha, Neb.; Creighton Prep HS)
Specializes in mid distance freestyle and distance freestyle 200 free (1:45.59) 500 free (4:48.09) 1000 free (9:55.09) 1650 free (16:47.29).
Pretre- “Justin gives us much needed depth in the freestyle events, something that we have been lacking over the last few years.”
Derek Mielke (St. Charles, Mo.; Francis Howell Central HS)
Specializes in breaststroke and IM 100 breast (1:02.07) 200 breast (2:13.70) 200 IM (1:58.00) 400 IM (4:14.17).
Pretre- “Derek gives us more depth in the IM and breaststroke events. Once we establish more strength, he will see some great time drops.”
Tim Regan (Ballwin, Mo.; Parkway South HS)
Specializes in backstroke, mid distance freestyle and distance freestyle 200 free (1:42.51) 500 free (4:42.97) 1000 free (9:39.37) 1650 free (16:22.14) 100 back (53.47) 200 back (1:54.14).
Pretre- “Tim gives us a much needed presence in the distance free event and 200 Backstroke. Once he gains a better understanding of race strategy, he will see some nice time drops. He will help us score major points at our conference meet next year.”
Joel Schawe (San Antonio, Texas; Churchill HS)
Specializes in freestyle, breaststroke and IM 500 free (4:36.95) 100 breast (59.68) 200 breast (2:10.41) 200 IM (1:57.34) 400 IM (4:08.97).
Pretre- “Joel came to us later in the spring, and we are thrilled that he’s coming to Truman. His versatility and great attitude will go a long way with our team. He is a hard worker and we’re excited to see him really take off in a number of events next season.”
Will Shanel (St. Charles, Ill.; St. Charles East HS)
Specializes in mid distance freestyle, butterfly and IM 200 free (1:42.03) 500 free (4:34.92) 100 free (9:25.37) 100 fly (50.20) 200 fly (1:48.33) 200 IM (1:52.97) 400 IM (3:55.80).
Pretre- “Will brings us some fire power in multiple events, and once we improve his weak strokes, his 200 and 400 IM are going to be fun to watch.”
Andrew Smith (Springfield, Mo.; Kickapoo HS)
Specializes in butterfly, breaststroke, and IM 100 fly (54.06) 100 breast (1:02.27) 200 breast (2:17.03) 200 IM (1:58.41) 400 IM (4:21.77).
Pretre- “Andrew was one of our last commitments to Truman. Once he gets more strength and consistent training in the pool, he will contend for a roster spot on the conference team.”
Dustin Smith (Omaha, Neb.; Millard South HS)
Specializes in mid distance freestyle and IM 200 free (1:48.75) 500 free (4:47.21) 200 IM (1:56.88) 400 IM (4:16.03).
Pretre- “Dustin has showed steady improvement over the last few years in the mid distance free and IM events. The key for Dustin is getting stronger, so once we establish that, he can be a solid point contributor at conference.”
The 2014-15 signing class helps Truman replace seven graduating seniors, including All-Americans Casey Jepsen, Beth Eyanson, and Margaux Kent, along with Bailey Peterson, Nikki Imhof, Ricky Zott, and Sam Collier.
The above is a press release that was submitted by Truman State Asst Director of Media Relations Tyler Madsen.
