Vanderbilt Announces 2018 Signing Class

Press Release courtesy: Vanderbilt Athletics

May 10, 2018

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt swimming has signed seven swimmers to the program’s 2018 recruiting class, head coach Jeremy Organ announced Thursday.

Incoming freshmen Whitney Brown, Abby Burke, Lizzy Cowell, Tonner DeBeer, Mallory “Birch” Ely, Krislyn Porter, and Lauren Thomas have all signed their NLIs and will join the Commodore swim team this fall.

Brown, from Newburgh, Ind. will add to the backstroke and freestyle sprints. Burke hails from Winter Park, Fla. and competes in the freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly sprints.

“[Brown] has grown a lot since her senior year; she is really powerful in the water,” assistant coach Jennifer Cahill said. “We can put [Burke] in a lot of places, and she is going to be a big part of our relays.”

Cowell, from New Canaan, Conn. will be a big addition to the relays and compete in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and breaststroke events. DeBeer, from Louisville, Ky. will join the backstroke, freestyle, and butterfly events. She will also add to the 200 medley relay team. Ely, from Birmingham, Ala. will compete in the breaststroke events.

“Lizzy will be a big part of the breaststroke puzzle,” Cahill said. “She’ll be able to come in and make the breaststroke core stronger. [Mallory] will help the breaststroke be more competitive, she’s got an electric personality that we love. Tonner is coming in already set up to make a lot of big moves; we’re really excited to see her speed.”

Porter, also from Newburgh, Ind. is a breaststroker who will also compete in the short-distance freestyle events. Thomas, from Mason, Ohio, will fill spots in most every event, with an emphasis on backstroke.

“Porter is a really hard worker, and we are excited to have her be a part of the team,” Cahill said. Lauren will be a big utility player for us, we can use her in a lot of different places.”

While the incoming class enhances the team’s breaststroke and backstroke events, Organ feels the group of freshmen helps balance the roster and bolsters the Dores across the board.

“We tried to get as balanced of a class as possible,” Organ said. “Our goal was to stay balanced but add some depth to some certain areas. We saw an opportunity to check both of those boxes with this class.”

Organ said the incoming class will also be a big part of the Commodore relay teams. The relay events – some of VU’s best events in 2017-18 – lost key pieces in the form of departing seniors.

“The pieces are there to fill the relay spots,” Organ said. “These girls can fill whatever holes were left by the seniors.”

The new team members won’t arrive on campus until the fall, but Organ says the new swimmers already feel like a part of the team.

“The chemistry is already there,” Organ said. “It’s a huge positive for us to have these girls come in already bonded. It helps the transition as they come to campus. We’re really happy to have such a strong class come in and join a good group of leaders in the other classes. It’s going to help this class mature.”

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ahmed khalid
5 years ago

I’want join

Festus
5 years ago

I don’t think they are fully funded.

Notaswimmer
5 years ago

We found Vandy to have poor marketing and recruiting skills. Our state champion swimmer and stellar student (not bragging (4.3 GPA , just facts) was told she had to have JNat cuts to be offered a spot, and that was without scholarship.

Ken Baker
Reply to  Notaswimmer
5 years ago

I’m sure not having their own facility doesn’t help. I’ve also heard from other talented local swimmers who swam at NAC. (who had National/Oly times) weren’t enamored with the program or the coaching. The AD needs to make a commitment to the program (like they have baseball – which doesn’t bring much money to the university).

Notaswimmer
Reply to  Ken Baker
5 years ago

Agree! I think they need to step it up or eliminate the program.

RetiredSwimParent
Reply to  Notaswimmer
5 years ago

That sounds about right, it’s still the SEC.

Swammer
Reply to  Notaswimmer
5 years ago

I don’t think some in that recruiting class have jr nat cuts.

Gopher81
5 years ago

I agree, they should at least beat Arkansas. Are they not fully funded?

'riting'n'reading
Reply to  Gopher81
5 years ago

Is there anywhere to see if and to what extent a particular school funds the swim team?

Ken Baker
5 years ago

It’s interesting that Vandy can’t do any better than finishing last in the SEC every year. An opportunity to earn a degree from Vanderbilt has to be worth something.

That's Vandy
Reply to  Ken Baker
5 years ago

Poor coaching.

Swammer
Reply to  That's Vandy
5 years ago

Is there anything specific or is that speculation? I’m sure there is a way to find out if programs are fully funded or not. I just don’t know how.