Seven sign with UW swimming and diving
November 25, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
The Wisconsin swimming and diving program will welcome seven new student-athletes for the 2009-10 season, as head coach staffid=145"> --> Eric Hansen announced the signing of three additions to the Badger men 's team and four additions to the UW women's squad to National Letters of Intent on Tuesday.
The class, which includes six swimmers and a diver, is comprised of women's swimmers Elena Carvell (Aurora, Ill.), Ruby Martin (Madison, Wis.) and Laura Miller (Portland, Ore.); men's swimmers Marcus Guttmann (Albuquerque, N.M.), Samuel Rowan (Eugene, Ore.), and Michael Weiss (Reno, Nev.); as well as women's diver Roxanne Fitter (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
'I am extremely excited about our first group of signees for 2009,' said Hansen, who is in his 10th season as head coach at the UW. 'It's a group that can come in and make an immediate impact for us at both the conference and national levels.
'It is a great class, and one that fits very well into what we aim to do, both athletically and academically, at the University of Wisconsin.'
The signing class is an accomplished one even before any of its members step onto campus. The six swimming signees have combined for 25 high school state championships, while four of those swimmers also posted performances that qualified them for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Elena Carvell
Butterfly
Aurora, Ill. (Waubonsie Valley)
Carvell recently wrapped up her senior season with a third-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly at the 2008 Illinois state championships, clocking in at 56.17.
In addition, Carvell was part of three Waubonsie Valley relays that placed at the state meet. She helped the school's 200 medley relay team to a runner-up finish in 1:45.76, while also swimming the lead leg on the fifth-place effort in the 200 freestyle relay and anchoring the 400 free relay team that claimed seventh.
Carvell took fifth in the 100 fly at the 2007 Illinois high school championship meet in 56.56 after posting the fastest preliminary time in the event.
She also hit the U.S. Open qualifying standard in the 100-yard fly this year and also was a qualifier for the NCSA Junior National meet in March in the 100 fly.
Roxanne Fitter
Diving
Huntington Beach, Calif. (Pacific Coast)
Fitter, competing for Pacific Diving Academy, has enjoyed strong performances in both AAU and USA Diving competition over the past two years.
Most recently, Fitter took 15th on the platform at the 2008 USA Diving Speedo Junior National Championships in August, while also finishing 17th in the 3-meter springboard competition. She was 10th in the platform competition at the 2007 junior nationals, ranking fifth in the preliminary round along the way.
Her junior nationals performance this season came on the heels of wins on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards at the USA Diving Summer Junior Regional Championships in July.
Fitter also was third in the 3-meter competition and took sixth on the 1-meter board at USA Diving's spring regional championships in March. In addition, Fitter earned a fourth-place finish on the 1-meter board at the 2007 AAU Diving Nationals, a meet in which she also placed 9th on the platform at 11th at 3 meters.
Ruby Martin
Sprint Freestyle
Madison, Wis. (East)
Martin capped an impressive prep career earlier this month by going 4-for-4 at the 2008 Wisconsin state meet. She claimed Division 1 state titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, as well as contributing to wins for her Madison East team in the 200 free and 400 free relays. Both relays clocked new state records on their way to titles in the same pool Martin will compete in for the Badgers beginning next fall.
In all, Martin claimed seven state crowns in her four years as a prep, while also scoring another five runner-up finishes. Her East High School team won the Division 1 state title in 2007 and finished runner-up in 2008 under coach
As a member of the Badger Aquatics Club, Martin competed in the 2008 NSCA Junior Nationals in March, as well as the 2008 Speedo Junior National Championships in August. She has posted U.S. Open qualifying marks in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 back, while also qualifying for next summer's ConocoPhilips National Championships in the 50 and 100 free.
Laura Miller
Sprint Freestyle
Portland, Ore. (David Douglas)
Miller, a four-time Oregon Class 6A state champion through her first three seasons as a prep, was named Oregon Swimming's 2008 Outstanding Female Athlete after an outstanding year of both high school and club swimming.
Miller claimed her second-consecutive state title in the 50 freestyle last season in a state-record time of 23.65, while also winning the 100 freestyle. That performance came a year after a sophomore campaign in which she was part of the David Douglas High School team that claimed a state title in the 200 free relay in 2007.
Miller, a member of the David Douglas Swim Club, also qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in three events during 2008. She clocked in below the Trials standard in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, as well as the 100-meter butterfly.
She took sixth place in the 100-meter freestyle at the Speedo Junior National Championships in August, while also earning an 18th-place finish in the 50-meter free. In March, she took ninth in the 50-meter free at the NCSA Junior Nationals, while also finishing 19th in the 50 free.
Marcus Guttmann
Butterfly, Distance Freestyle
Albuquerque, N.M. (Academy)
Gutttman is a seven-time New Mexico state champion at Albuquerque Academy, including four titles he won as a junior in 2008, a season in which he earned prep All-America honors three times. He has won the state title in the 100 butterfly in each of his first three seasons and was part of the 200 medley relay team that set a state record of 1:36.41 in 2008.
In addition to his seven titles, Guttmann also owns four runner-up finishes at the state meet and helped his team to back-to-back state titles in both 2006 and 2007 for coach Dave Barney.
Most recently, Guttmann took ninth in the 1500-meter freestyle at the 2008 Speedo Junior National Championships in August, clocking a time of 15:53.54 that met the U.S. Olympic Trials standard for the event. He also was 12th in the 800-meter free at the junior national meet.
He was 16th in the 1500-meter free at the Toyota Grand Prix at Ohio State in April. and, in July, Guttmann was second in the 1500-meter freestyle, third in the 800-meter free and sixth in the 400-meter free at the Speedo Western Sectional.
Samuel Rowan
Breaststroke, Individual Medley
Eugene, Ore. (South)
Rowan had a breakout season as a junior in 2008, claiming a pair of Oregon Class 6A state championships and posting strong marks at the Speedo Junior Nationals.
Rowan took home state titles in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke and also was part of two fourth-place relay teams at the 2008 Oregon state meet. He then posted three top-25 finishes at the junior national meet, recording U.S. Open qualifying marks in all three.
He was fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Speedo Junior National Championships in August, clocking a time of 2:19.54 in the prelims and 2:19.57 in the finals, both of which fell below the U.S. Olympic Trials standard for the event.
Rowan also hit an Olympic Trials cut in the 200-meter individual medley, taking 11th place in 2:07.06, and was 23rd in the 400-meter IM with a time of 4:34.35.
Michael Weiss
Freestyle, Backstroke, Individual Medley
Reno, Nev. (Reno)
Weiss is a five-time Nevada high school state champion and was named 2008 North Region Swimmer of the Year in a season that saw him claim a championship and three runner-up finishes at the state meet.
Weiss was runner-up in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke at the 2008 Nevada state meet, while also finishing runner-up as part of the Reno High School 200 medley relay team and scoring his fifth state title as a member of the school's championship 400 freestyle relay team.
He also won a pair of relay titles as a freshman in 2006 and then added two individual state crowns during his junior season. In all, Weiss has 10 top-three finishes under his belt after three seasons at the Nevada state championships.
Competing for Lakeridge Swim Team, Weiss took fourth in the 400-meter individual medley and fifth in the 400-yard IM at the National Club Swimming Association Junior Nationals in March. He then finished 19th in the 200-meter IM at the Speedo Junior National Championships in August and posted an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:07.38.
