Florida International Head Coach Randy Horner has secured another verbal commitment to help stay atop Conference USA, where his Panthers successfully defended their first ever title with their 2016 domination of the championship meet. This time Markham Aquatic Club’s Rielly McNamara will be joining fellow Canadians Becca Quesnel, Brooke Bouchard, Lily Kaufmann, Brittany Haskell and Alexa Bryant on the Panthers roster in the Fall of 2017.
Rielly is qualified for Canadian Age Group Nationals and Senior Nationals in a majority of her events, and at the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials she finished 31st in the 200 fly. She attends Bill Crothers Secondary School in Ontario, Canada and swims for the Markham Aquatic Club under head Coach Rob Novak. At FIU she plans on pursuing either a Communications or Education major.
“I chose FIU because I felt like it was the perfect fit for me as a Student and an Athlete. I loved the Coaches and the girls on the team and I am so excited to be a Panther next fall!”
BEST TIMES (LCM):
- 200 fly – 2:20.04
- 100 fly: 1:04.16
- 200 back – 2:21.6
- 200 free: 2:04.02
WHERE SHE FITS IN:
At the 2016 Conference USA Championship we saw FIU defend their title in stunning fashion with tremendous depth across the board. Based on last year’s results, Rielly would have fit in nicely with the squad as her times converted from LCM to SCY would have squeaked her into 8th place for the 200 fly, and she would have been deep within the A final of the 200 free. That 200 free might have also earned her a spot on the winning 800 freestyle relay for the Panthers as well. Rielly’s strength, along with incoming recruits Melannie Vargas and Stina Heimnes, should help the Panthers to stay powerful within Conference USA in 2017 and beyond.
Welcome Reilly to Panther Country! Go FIU!