Four swimmers ranked among the top-12 high school seniors in their respective states and two championship divers comprise San Jose State University’s women’s swimming and diving team’s National Letter-of-Intent signees for the 2013 fall signing period. Sage Hopkins, the Spartans head coach, and Pete Raykovich, the team’s associate head coach, made the announcement jointly.
Swimmers Brenda Bushey (Littleton, Colo./D’Evelyn HS), Colleen Humel (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee HS), Morgan McCormick (Golden, Colo./Arvada West HS), and Angel Van Hofwegen (Tolleson, Ariz./Phoenix Christian HS) and divers Kylie Fonseca (Gilbert, Ariz./Campo Verde HS) and Cari Reiswig (Galt, Calif.) plan to enroll at San Jose State for the 2014 fall semester and compete for the Spartans. According to college swimming, Van Hofwegen is rated the #2-senior in Arizona; Bushey, #5, and McCormick, #10 in Colorado; and Humel, #11 in Massachusetts.
“Arguably, this the top class in school history, and the coaching staff is thrilled with the potential that they bring to the program. Each of them is a top-level athlete, and also understands that in this program we place a very high level of expectation on academic success,” says Hopkins, who coached the Spartans to back-to-back conference championships in their final two seasons in the Western Athletic Conference.
“A number of years back, we realized that finding ‘good’ people that would both contribute to and enhance our team chemistry was of primary importance in the recruiting process. The six signees will make everyone around them better athletes, better students, and better citizens of San Jose State University.”
“One of the primary goals that Sage and I established when I joined the Spartan swim program two years ago was to recruit student-athletes that are of high character, compete at a national-caliber level and are as ambitious in the classroom as they are in the pool. This year’s recruiting class is a strong step forward in all of these areas,” says Raykovich. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with these student-athletes and help them achieve their potential. “
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Brenna BusheyD’Evelyn Senior HS Foothills Swim TeamLittleton, Colo.
An honorable mention All-American and two-time all-state award winner, Brenna is one of the top butterfly and backstroke specialists out of Colorado. At the 2013 Colorado Girls’ 4A Championships, Bushey was second in the 500 free and ninth in the 100 back. At the 2012 4A Championships, Brenna finished third in 500 free. A member of the Foothills Swim Team (Coach Bill Rose) in Denver, Colo., she helped her team to a second place finish and was a state champion in the 100 and 200 free at the Summer Long Course State Championships in Grand Junction, Colo.
HOPKINS ON BUSHEY: “Brenna is coming off of a tremendous summer long-course season in which she captured two state championships, as well as dropping to 1:02 in the 100 meter fly. With Ashlyn Acosta and Taylor Curado graduating this year, we needed to find a strong flyer and are thrilled to add Brenna to the team.”
Best times:
100 Back: 55.4 short course yards
100 Fly: 56.4 short course yards, 1:02.6 long course meters
500 Free: 5:03.1 short course yards
Kylie FonsecaCampo Verde HSSun Devil DiversGilbert, Ariz.
One of the top divers out of Arizona, Kylie will add much needed depth to the diving team. She began her 2013 fall season taking first place in the 1-meter and second in the 3-meter at the November Sun Devil Invitational. The last three years, she competed in USA Diving Spring and Summer Regional Championships. Kylie is a National Honor Society Member and a three-time Golden Scholar award winner.
HOPKINS ON FONSECA: “Kylie comes to us from the Sun Devil Divers (Coach Marc Briggs), a top-level club team, and has a very solid foundation. We knew the moment we met her at the airport that she was a perfect fit for our program.”
Colleen HumelChicopee HSGreat Holyoke YMCAChicopee, Mass.
A highly-talented backstroker, Colleen holds every girls swimming record at Chicopee (Mass.) High School. An honorable mention All-American, she recorded top-five finishes at the 2012 and 2013 Massachusetts Division I Girls State Championships. Humel was fourth in the 100 back in 2012 and second in the same event in 2013. Colleen also placed second in the 200 free at the 2013 state championships. Training out of the Great Holyoke YMCA (Coach Nick Rice) in Holyoke, Mass., she also is a four-time qualifier for the YMCA National Championships.
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HOPKINS ON HUMEL: “Colleen is a very talented swimmer whom we expect to make an immediate impact at the Mountain West Championships and also develop into an national-level competitor. She has made tremendous improvement over the past two-years, and will be a tremendous addition to our team.”
Best times:
100 Back: 56.78 short course yards
200 Back: 2:01.39 short course yards
Morgan McCormickArvada West HSNorth Jeffco Swim TeamGolden, Colo.
One of the top swimmers from Colorado, Morgan has strong times in the IM’s and backstroke. She is a five-time finalist at the Colorado Girls’ 5A Championships. The team captain of the Arvada West High team trains with the North Jeffco Swim Team (Coach Ashley Cully-Strickland) in Arvada, Colo.
HOPKINS ON McCORMICK: “Morgan has made some tremendous improvements over the past year, most notably in her 200-meter back and 400-meter IM from this past summer. Morgan’s dedication to doing whatever the team will need and motivation to be a national-level competitor really impressed us through the recruiting process.”
Best times:
100 Back: 56.7 short course yards
200 Back: 2:01.3 short course yards, 2:17.9 long course meters
200 IM: 2:22.2 long course meters
400 IM: 5:00.1 long course meters
Cari ReiswigDelta Valley DivingGalt, Calif.
A relative newcomer to the sport of diving, Cari quickly became one of the top divers in Northern California. The Northern California “Diver of the Year” runner-up for 2013, she was the 1-meter champion and finished fourth at the 2013 Far Western Diving Championships in Santa Clara, Calif. Reiswig was third in the 1-meter competition at this year’s USA Region 10 Championships in Tualatin, Ore.
Training at Delta Valley Diving (Coach Robert Wimberly) in Stockton, Calif., Cari was a Level 10 gymnast who turned to diving in 2012. In 2009, she was a Nor-Cal State Gymnastics champion in the floor exercise and second in the all-around and a Level 9 Western Championship first-place finisher in the balance beam and floor exercise.
Home-schooled, Reiswig earned three consecutive Dean’s High Honor awards and is a National Society of High School Scholars member.
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HOPKINS ON REISWIG: “Cari has the ability to score at the Mountain West Championships right now and with hard work will develop into a diver with the potential to score at the National Championships.”
Angel Van HofwegenPhoenix Christian HSScottsdale Aquatic ClubTolleson, Ariz.
A 2013 All-American in the 50 free, Angel is one of the top sprinters out of Arizona training under the direction of Kevin Zacher with the Scottsdale Aquatic Club. At the 2013 Arizona High School Division II State Championships, Van Hofwegen had two top-five finishes. After posting the fastest time in the 50 free with a 23.41 in a preliminary heat, she finished second in the championship final. She also was fifth in the 100-yard fly.
HOPKINS ON Van HOFWEGEN: “Angel had the same developmental coach (Bob Platt) as former Spartan stars Julia Craddock and Kirsten Trammell and we’ve had our eye on her for several years. Between the developmental work that Bob did with her and the great job Kevin has done developing her sprinting ability, we feel Angel is set up to be a top-level sprinter for us. SJSU is known for its sprinters, and I feel that Angel will be a great addition to the legacy of our ‘Sprint Nation.’”
Best times:
50 free: 23.41 short course yards
100 free: 52.8 short course yards
100 fly: 56.3
This release was provided to SwimSwam courtesy of San Jose State University Swimming and Diving.
