HOUSTON – Three more freshmen have officially joined the defending Conference USA champion Rice swim team, bringing the final 2014-2015 newcomer total to eight, Owl head coach Seth Huston announced as classes began this week.
Rice initially signed five prep standouts last winter. Three more signees, Kiley Beall, Hannah Deters and Julie Litver, are the newest additions to the Owl swim program that has won back-to-back C-USA titles as well as the inaugural National Collegiate Classic last March.
Beall is versatile multi-stroke swimmer from Lexington Park, Md., who competed for Chesapeake Bay Aquatics. Litver and Deters are both international student-athletes with a wealth of experience from their native countries. Deters is a freestyle sprinter from Hamburg, Germany. Livers is a proven competitor in the backstroke from Sydney, Australia.
Coach Huston had high praise for the newest Owls. The trio’s diverse skill-set may now have raised an already solid incoming class to an even higher level.
“Kiley Beall was a nice addition to our team early in the spring signing,” Huston said. “She is coming off a fantastic senior year, and will be very competitive in the backstroke and butterfly events. Kiley is a strong underwater kicker and we believe we can really maximize her abilities.
“Julie was an unexpected surprise,” Huston explained. “She applied to Rice on her own, was accepted by the University and asked if she could join the team. Julie’s coaches back in Sydney think she has a lot of potential, and that she is a very dedicated athlete.
“Hannah was a last minute addition,” the head coach added. “We are excited to have a sprinter of her caliber join the team. I think a greater focus on sprinting and increasing power will really benefit Hannah’s speed.”
The three new Owls join the early list of signees that included Kaitlin Benjamin of Perwyn, Pa., Kylie Burgess of Stillwater, Minn., Jaecey Parham of Lubbock, Tex., Carly Pratt of The Woodlands, Tex., and Kaitlyn Swinney of Sugar Land, Tex. The eight newcomers is one of the largest incoming freshmen classes in Huston’s 13 seasons at the helm of the program.
The Rice swim team opens the 2014-2015 season at home on October 10 against Incarnate Word. The Owls compete against some of the best teams in the region and travel to face strong opponents all the way to the C-USA Championships in February, 2015.
The above is a press release written by the Rice athletics department.
