MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin swimming and diving head coach Whitney Hite announced Friday that 12 high school seniors have signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Wisconsin and compete for the Badgers, beginning in the fall of 2016.
“The women’s class is by far the best class that we’ve had since I’ve been here. I would argue that the men’s class is as well,” Hite said. “It’s a very good group and there’s a lot of potential on both the men’s side and on the women’s side. Hopefully this class catches people’s attention. This is something that we’ve worked really hard on for the last five years.
“It’s important to us that we’re making sure that we’re getting the right type of people for this program. We not only feel like these are the right type of people, but are also individuals that value hard work.”
Joining the Wisconsin women’s team:
MEGAN DOTY (Hartland, Wis.)
The three-time Wisconsin High School state champion heads to Madison with a quartet of runner-up finishes at the high school level in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly under her belt. Doty played a key role in collecting team titles in both 2014 and 2015 for the Arrowhead swim team. A butterfly specialist and Olympic trial qualifier, Doty ranks second in Wisconsin High School swimming history in the 100-yard butterfly only to future teammate Beata Nelson.
Hite on Doty: “Megan and Beata are the fastest 100-yard butterfly swimmers we’ve recruited and Megan is versatile. She can do some freestyle and some IM (individual medley). She competed last weekend in the state meet and did really well. We’re really excited about her. I think she’s got a lot of potential to come in and help us as a freshman.”
ABBY KOCHEVAR (Castle Pines, Colo.)
Kochevar hails from Castle Pines, Colorado, and attends Rock Canyon High School. An Olympic trial qualifier and two-time Colorado high school state champion in the 100-yard backstroke, Kochevar swims club for the University of Denver Hilltoppers. She was also the 2015 runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle.
Hite on Kochevar: “I think she’s really going to be able to help us out in the backstroke events. She’s one of the fastest backstrokers we’ve ever recruited. She’s an Olympic trials qualifier as well. She comes from a very good Hilltoppers age-group program, so she’s got the background. She’s had very good success and we’re excited about that.”
HANNAH LINDSEY (Potomac, Md.)
An Olympic trials qualifier in the 200-meter backstroke, Lindsey hails from Maryland where she was the 2014 and 2015 Maryland high school state champion in the 100-yard backstroke. Swimming for Winston Churchill High School, Lindsey was also the Maryland high school state runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley in 2015. Lindsey swims club for All-Star Aquatics.
Hite on Lindsey: “She’s the fastest 200-yard backstroke swimmer we’ve ever recruited. Walking in the door, I think she can also swim some freestyle and some IM (individual medley). She’s very excited to be a Badger. You can tell that she really wanted to be a Badger from the get-go. We’re excited to have her, too.”
BEATA NELSON (Fitchburg, Wis.)
A 12-time Wisconsin high school state champion, Nelson holds three Wisconsin high school state records in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly, and 200-yard freestyle relay. Nelson’s time of 51.62 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly at this year’s Wisconsin high school state meet also reset her previous USA public high school national record. A five-event Olympic trials qualifier, she also owns the National Age Group record in the 100-yard butterfly at 51.08 seconds. Nelson is a member of the USA Junior National Team and swims under Shane Ryan at the Madison Aquatic Club.
Hite on Nelson: “Beata is the top recruit in the country. She’s a game-changer, plain and simple. I think that the sky is the limit for her. You talk about competing internationally, she’s done that. She’s just scratching the surface I think with her potential and her talent. She can be one of the best, if not the best, and that brings our program to another level which is really exciting. She’s definitely a game-changer and she’s versatile. She can swim backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, IM… she’s just a very, very talented swimmer and probably the best talent to ever come out of this state. During the recruiting process, we talked about how she was born and raised a Badger fan. When your heart is in it, you’re going to fight a little bit harder and you’re going to swim a little bit faster. Her heart is here, and we’re really excited that she is too.”
ELISE ROEDIGER (Phoenix, Az.)
Hailing from Phoenix, Roediger was the runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly at the 2015 Arizona high school swimming state championships. Roediger attends high school at Xavier College Prep and swims club for the Phoenix Swim Club. The butterflier was also a USA Junior Nationals qualifier in the 100-yard butterfly.
Hite on Roediger: “Elise is a very solid swimmer. She’s going to help us on freestyle and butterfly, and for us, it became apparent that she really is a good fit for our program. Coming from Phoenix, that’s a little bit further away, but we feel like she’s a good fit. I think her potential is off the chart.”
KENDALL SMITH (Carmel, Ind.)
Joining the Badgers from Carmel, Indiana, Smith is originally a Wisconsin native, as she swam for the same club team as former Wisconsin swimmer and previous UW record holder in the 50-yard freestyle Beckie Thompson, as well as current Wisconsin team members Rachel Johnson, Anna Meinholz, Maddi Tew and Molly Manchon. Smith is the 2015 Indiana high school state champion and national high school record holder in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays. She also earned runner-up finishes in the 100- and 500-yard freestyle events at the Indiana high school state championship and is a four-event USA Junior Nationals qualifier.
Hite on Smith: “Kendall lived in Wisconsin growing up a little bit, so she knows the Wisconsin mystique and the way of the Badgers. She’s a freestyler that I think can really help us. She swims a little bit of breaststroke, but I think she will mainly help us in the sprint freestyle events. I think that she has a lot of potential to help us individually and on relays. She comes from a great club program in Carmel Swim Club. Certainly, she’ll be prepared to help us walking in the door.”
Joining the Wisconsin men’s team:
GRIFFIN BACK (Eden Prairie, Minn.)
Back joins the Badgers from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where he is a member of the Aquajets Swim Team and Eden Prairie High School swim team. A five-time Minnesota high school state champion and two-time defending champion in the 200-yard individual medley, Back is also a USA Junior National qualifier. Both of Back’s parents are University of Wisconsin alumni.
Hite on Back: “I think he’s got a heck of a lot of potential. He’s someone that can help us in freestyle and breaststroke. He’s just really scratching the surface of what he’s going to be able to do. He comes from a great club program and we’re certainly very excited about him.”
ERIC GEUNES (Gainesville, Fla.)
An Olympic trials qualifier in the 400-meter freestyle, Geunes heads to Madison from the Gator Swim Club in Gainesville, Florida. Also a member of Gainesville high school swim team, Geunes was third in the 500-yard freestyle and runner-up in the 200-yard medley relay, while he also contributed to the title-winning 400-yard freestyle relay at last year’s Florida high school state championship.
Hite on Geunes: “Eric is a mid-distance to distance freestyler. He comes from a really good club program and I think he’s going to come in and help us in the freestyle events. I think he’s someone that has a lot of potential.”
COOPER HODGE (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Hodge is an incredibly versatile swimmer who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and was third in the 200-yard individual medley and fourth in both the 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard breaststroke at the 2015 NCSA National Championship. The USA swimming Junior Nationals qualifier was also a multi-time finalist at the Ohio high school state meet. Hodge attends Archbishop Moeller High School and swims for Mason Manta Rays Swim Club.
Hite on Hodge: “Cooper is arguably our top men’s recruit. He’s super versatile. He comes from a really great club program, the Mason Manta Rays. The coach there has done very well in the past few years producing some great swimmers. He can swim breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, and obviously he can swim IM. He’s a great underwater kicker. We’re really excited about his potential and being able to plug him in in a lot of different events. He can do a lot of different events very well. He will be very valuable to us because he can swim a lot of things at a high level.”
MICHAEL MILINOVICH (Aurora, Ill.)
An Olympic trials qualifier in the 400-yard individual medley, Milinovich heads to Madison after finishing third in the 400-yard individual medley at the 2015 NCSA National Championship, just ahead of future teammate Cooper Hodge. Milinovich attends West Aurora High School and swims for Academy Bullets Swim Club.
Hite on Milinovich: “He’s kind of a mid-distance to distance freestyler, but he can also swim some IM and some butterfly as well. One minute, 46 seconds in the 200-yard butterfly is really good and his IM is good. I think he’s the type of guy that not many people may know about, but he’s got the potential to turn some heads and come in and do very well for us.”
KEVIN POMEROY (El Granada, Calif.)
The seven-time Junior National championship qualifier competed for Stanford Diving Club. Pomeroy has claimed one Junior National title on the 3-meter and two Junior National titles on the platform discipline. The California native is also a Junior Pan American Team member.
Diving Coach Anton Slobounov on Pomeroy: “Kevin has been competing at the national level from a very your age. He brings a great wealth of experience to our swimming and diving program. He truly is an exciting diver to watch in competition and we are thrilled to welcome Kevin next fall.”
JUSTIN TEMPRANO (Madison, Wis.)
A four-time Wisconsin high school state champion and two-time defending champion in the 100-yard backstroke, Temprano joins the Badgers as a local prospect from Madison where he attends James Madison Memorial High School. A member of Badger Aquatics Club, Temprano has trained with current and former Badgers, including Drew teDuits, Ivy and Maddie Martin, Aja Van Hout, Katie Delaney, and Chris Wills. Temprano is the WIAA state record holder in the 200-yard medley relay and is a USA swimming Junior Nationals qualifier.
Hite on Temprano: “Justin is another local guy that we’re really excited about. Badger Aquatics Club has really produced some of the best swimmers since I’ve been here with Ivy Martin and Aja Van Hout and Drew teDuits, and one thing that I’ve noticed is that those kids come in ready to go. They’re prepared, they’re capable of being able to handle the type of practices and the type of work that we do, so I know that he’s going to get better. He’s a backstroker and butterflier, and I think that he’s got a tremendous amount of talent. Every time I look at him, it seems like he’s getting taller. I think he’s going to help us.”
Swimming news courtesy of Wisconsin Swimming & Diving.
