http://blip.tv/swimmerscircle/swim-talk-with-andrea-kropp-announces-transfer-to-usc-5696622
Former Princeton swimmer Andrea Kropp has announced that she will be transferring to USC, with her first competition for the Trojans coming in the fall of 2012.
Kropp, who didn’t even qualify for NCAA’s in the spring, made this decision after taking taking a big step back in her training following the NCAA Championship meet. That mental and physical renewal led to a spot on the USA Swimming National Team in the 200 breaststroke, thanks to her silver medal at the World University Games.
She’s currently working with her old club team, the Rattler Swim Club, in the North of Los Angeles and attending classes at a community college. She will officially enroll at USC in the spring, when she will begin training with coach Dave Salo, World Champion Rebecca Soni, Eric Shanteau, super-soph Kasey Carlson, and the rest of the loaded Trojan training group.
This is a big signing for USC, who, despite having the reigning king of breaststroke in Salo, is a bit thin in the breaststrokes at the college level. Depending on how Kropp’s long-course success converts to short-course in 2012, this gives them at least a good complement to Carlson (a pure 100 breaststroker), and at most the freedom to move Carlson to the freestyle leg of the medley (she’s also a phenomenal sprinter).
She sits #3 amongst American long course 200 breaststrokers in 2011, and based on encouraging results from the recent World Cup stops in Moscow and Berlin is hopeful to make the jump onto the Olympic Team.
When added to Jasmine Tosky, Kendyl Stewart, and the rest of the big class that USC is bringing in next fall, the Trojans look like they might be back to NCAA top-3 sooner rather than later.
Check out the video above, where Kropp discusses her decision.
