Two swimmers have confirmed they will be using their fifth year of NCAA eligibility next season at Villanova, as the women’s team will keep Maggie Kleinsmith and add graduate transfer Lauryn Johnson from UCLA.
Kleinsmith, a breaststroke specialist, helped the Wildcats win their 10th consecutive BIG EAST title last season, earning a runner-up finish in the 100 breast (1:02.21), a fourth-place showing in the 200 breast and adding nine more points by winning the ‘C’ final to take 17th in the 200 IM (2:06.81).
Over the course of her first four years at Villanova, Kleinsmith has earned six All-BIG EAST honors and earned the conference title in the 100 breast as a freshman.
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Johnson heads to Villanova after four years at UCLA, having placed 23rd in the 200 fly (2:04.22), 27th in the 100 fly (55.87) and 44th in the 50 free (23.51) at the 2023 Women’s Pac-12 Championships.
At the 2020 Pac-12 Championships, Johnson had her best career finish at the conference championships in the 200 fly, advancing to the consolation final in 1:59.39 before placing 16th overall.
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The Wildcat women won their 10th consecutive BIG EAST title in February, scoring 1534 points to outpace runner-up UConn (1316.5) by well over 100.
