CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University head swim coach Dan’l Murray has announced eight student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to compete for the Lady Statesmen in 2016-17.
“This is one of our larger groups of early signees for the women’s team in the last five years,” said head coach Dan’l Murray. “Our coaching staff did a remarkable job I appreciate their tireless efforts in reaching our recruiting goals for the early signing period. Each season we have very specific recruiting goals we want to achieve. We look to recruit and attract potential student-athletes and their families who embody our current team’s goals and standards. We want to find high character people, who are driven academically and athletically.”
The list includes five swimmers and three divers.
Student-Athlete Name: Mackenzie “Kenzie” Blomquist
Hometown: Monument, Colo.
Height: 5′ 6″
Parents: Tricia and Scott Blomquist
Event: Diving
High School: Pine Creek High School
High School Coach: Ken Byrd
Club Team: Altitude Diving Club
Club Coach: Grant Robinson
Anticipated Major: Speech Pathology- Major; Vocal Music Minor
Honors: 16th place at 2015 5A State meet … Two-time third place finisher at Metro League … All-Area Honorable Mention following her sophomore and junior seasons
Kenzie on why she chose Delta State:
“DSU captivated my attention as soon as I set foot on campus. I loved the camaraderie of the school and most importantly, the swim and dive team was friendly and inviting. Before I was on my plane back home, I knew that Delta State was the school and team for me.”
Coach Friesenhahn on Kenzie:
“Kenzie is going to be an excellent addition to our team. She has seen recent success at the high school level, and is hungry to continue improving in college. She is a very positive person who will fit in perfectly with the team.”
Student-Athlete Name: Kyra Cortel-Fraser
Hometown: Loganville Ga.
Height: 5′ 9″
Parents: Humphrey and Kathy Cortel-Fraser
Events: Backstroke and Freestyle
High School: Archer High School
High School Coach: Coach Broge
Club Team: Summit Swimming
Club Coach: Coach Humphrey
Anticipated Major: Undecided
Kyra on why she chose Delta State:
“I decided to attend Delta State because I am looking for an opportunity to become a faster swimmer, while enjoying a team that is like family. Everyone at Delta State was so welcoming and nice.”
Coach Murray on Kyra:
“Kyra has shown a lot of improvement in recent years. She will be a great addition to our backstroke group. Kyra made a great impression on the coaching staff during the recruiting process. We are looking forward to her getting to work alongside our returning All-American backstroke specialists (Anastasia Klyarovskaya and Kierstin Page) next season.”
Student-Athlete Name: Shelby Cox
Hometown: Cleveland, Miss.
Height: 5′ 8″
Parents: Kevin and Anita Cox
Events: Butterfly and Backstroke
High School: Cleveland High School
High School Coaches: Memory Naron and Jake Blegen
Club Team: Delta Aquatic Club
Club Coach: Chet Oguz
Anticipated Major: Undecided
Honors: 2015 Class 1 State Champion in 100 fly and 100 back … Finished in the top three of the North Half State Championships from 9th-12th grades
Shelby on why she chose Delta State:
“Delta State feels like home to me. I love the team, and I see on an everyday basis how much hard work they put in. I’m so excited to be a part of a wonderful team and continue my swim career as a Lady Statesman!”
Coach Murray on Shelby:
“When I first moved to Cleveland over 10 years ago, I had the pleasure coaching Shelby at a very early age with Delta Aquatic Club. This is special signing for me, knowing we are bringing a quality person to our team. The opportunity to coach Shelby for her college career is very exciting. She has always been very coachable, and is known as a fierce competitor and producing big relay swims. Shelby is an excellent kicker, which translates very well to the college level. We are looking forward to her starting her college career as a Lady Statesman.”
Student-Athlete Name: Casey Moore
Hometown: Queensbury, New York
Height: 5′ 7″
Parents: Stephanie and James Gilman
Event: Diving
High School: Queensbury High School
High School Coach: Mike Martin
Club Team: Spring Loaded
Club Coach: Dennis Hogan
Anticipated Major: Biology
Honors: Finished in 18th place at the 2015 NYSPHSSA State Championships in the 1-Meter competition … Finished in 19th place at the 2014 NYSPHSSA State Championships in the 1-Meter competition
Casey on why she chose Delta State:
“I chose Delta State because they have a really strong program. I loved the atmosphere of both the team and the campus.”
Coach Friesenhahn on Casey:
“Casey is a very smart and ambitious individual. She was a long-time gymnast and has successfully transferred those skills to diving. I see a great potential for further improvement from her.”
Student-Athlete Name: Gabriela “Gaby” Santis Mejia
Hometown: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Height: 5′ 5″
Events: Freestyle, Butterfly, and IM
Parents: Caronila Mejia de Santis and Eduardo Santis
High School: English American School of Guatemala (Colegio Ingles Americano -EAS- de Guatemala)
Club team: Programa Federacion Hiroaki PROH
Club coach: Hiroaki Ito and Michael Walker
Anticipated Mayor: Physical Therapy
Honors: Claimed second place in the 200 and 400-Freestyle, and the 4×200-Freestyle relay at the 2013 Central American Games… Also finished third in the 400-Individual medley, 4×100-Freestyle relay and the 4×100-Medley relay in the same event … Finished in fourth place in the 400-Freestyle at the 2014 Central American and Mexico Championships … Competed at the 2012 FINA World Championships, 2013 World Junior Swimming Championships , 2015 Pan-American Games and the 2015 FINA World Championships … Holds open national records in 100, 200, and 400-Freestyle
Gaby on why she chose Delta State:
“I decided to attend Delta State University because they offered me the opportunity to receive an excellent education that will help prepare for my future, while continuing my swimming career.”
Coach Murray on Gaby:
“Throughout the entire recruiting process, Gaby was very impressive in the every aspect you look for in a potential student-athlete. She is an elite freestyle talent, who will have an immediate impact with our program. Gaby and her mother visited this fall and she made a great connection with the team immediately. It felt like she had been on the team all season. We knew she would be a great fit for our team atmosphere. We are eager to help her continue to improve, which will help her have a further impact on the international stage. This will be the first time, we have someone beginning their college career with freestyle times under 1:50 (200-Freestyle) and 5:00 (500-Freestyle).”
Student-Athlete Name: Grace Veselits
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Height: 5′ 7″
Parents: Lois and Robert Veselits
Event: Diving
High School: Faith Academy
High School Coach: Justin Allen
Club Team: Port City Diving
Club Coach: Barb Parker
Anticipated Major: Social Work
Coach Friesenhahn on Grace:
“Grace is a very hard-working individual inside and outside of the pool. She has competed at a high level throughout her high school and club careers. I hope to see her have the same level of success as other DSU student-athletes from her club program.”
Student-Athlete Name: Sophia Waddingham
Hometown: Brandon Mississippi
Height: 5′ 10″
Parents: Chuck and Sharon Waddingham
Event: Backstroke
High School: St. Joseph Catholic School
High School Coach: Lauri Collins
Club Team: Mississippi Makos Swim Team
Club Coach: Brian Ware and Eddie Ware
Anticipated Major: Education
Sophia on why she chose Delta State:
“I chose Delta State because I’ve always wanted to be a part of the swimming and art programs. I could not see myself being anywhere else!”
Coach Murray on Sophia:
“Whenever we have an opportunity to keep in-state talent, and they are interested in attending Delta State, we jump at the chance. Throughout my club coaching years, and coaching on the MS Zone Team staff, Sophia always was very personable and easy to coach. Sophia carries a very positive and upbeat mood around the pool deck. She will be a great addition to our backstroke group.”
Student-Athlete Name: Madeline “Maddie” Woody
Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
Height: 5′ 7″
Parent’s Names: Rhett and Beth Woody
Events: Freestyle and IM
High School: Virgil I. Grissom High School
High School Coach: Barb Belyea
Club Team: Mountain Valley Aquatics
Club Coach: Barb Belyea
Anticipated Major: Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy
Maddie on why she chose Delta State:
“I decided to attend Delta State because I loved the team and the swimming program and felt that the school would help me in my future occupation.”
Coach Murray on Maddie:
“Maddie made a great connection with the team on her visit. We loved visiting with her parents and club coach throughout the recruiting process. Maddie made it obvious during the recruiting process that she has a genuine love for the sport and wants to compete at the collegiate level. She will help continue to further our family atmosphere.”Swimming news courtesy of Delta State Swimming & Diving.
Swimming news courtesy of Delta State Swimming & Diving.
Go Delta! Can’t wait to see what this group can do. Great university, great facilities, great coaching staff. Win win win.