RedHawks Add Fourteen to 2018-19 Roster
11/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami University Head Swimming and Diving Coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron announced the team’s incoming class for the 2018-2019 season Thursday. This year’s class features great diversity and promise, with eight women and six men coming from eight states and three foreign countries. Thirteen of the members of this year’s recruiting class would have scored at the 2017 Mid-American Conference championships with their current times.
“We are so proud to introduce the next generation of RedHawk Swimming and Diving,” Bonewit-Cron said. “This class brings tremendous talent to our program, but we are also impressed and excited by their collective grit and determination to win. Developing strong connections during the recruiting process helped us identify these student-athletes and their talents, and I look forward to having those connections grow over the next four years. I am confident they will be able to step right in and help us continue to progress toward our goals of winning the MAC and improving our national standing.”
Women
Individual medley standout Alexandra Spaczay headlines a robust women’s class for the RedHawks. A native of Hungary and resident of Austria, Spaczay comes to Oxford with a converted time in the 400 IM (4:20.47) that would have placed her fourth in the MAC last season. She complements that event with a 200 IM (2:03.52) and 200 freestyle (1:51.60) that should both be immediately competitive in conference competition.
Breaststroker Anna Martin also looks to make an immediate impact for Miami, as she comes to campus with conference-scoring times in both the 100 (1:04.26) and 200 (2:18.05) breaststroke. From North Royalton, Ohio, Martin also specializes in the 200 (2:09.62) and 400 (4:33.13) IM.
With this class, Miami has also boosted its freestyle core, adding mid-distance specialists Peyton Rayburn, Hunter Scott and Annie Kreikemeier. Rayburn, a native of Rockford, Mich., will immediately bolster several RedHawk relays, with her incoming times in the 50 (23.93), 100 (50.19) and 200 (1:49.88) free. She will also make an impact individually, as her times in the 100 and 200 would have placed her 8th and 10th, respectively, at last year’s MAC championship.
Scott, a resident of Rotonda West, Fla., is a versatile freestyler, coming in with conference-competitive times in the 100 (51.60), 200 (1:51.40), 500 (4:57.67) and 1650 (17:17.48) freestyle. Like Rayburn, she will look to contribute immediately not just in her individual events but also in several relays.
Kreikemeier, a native of Chesterfield, Mo., who brings a wealth of events to Miami, will likewise look to quickly contribute in the 200 free (1:51.34) and 800 freestyle relay.
Alex Temple of Hillsborough, N.J. a backstroke specialist, joins the program with a 200 backstroke time (2:02.74) that would have placed 14th at last year’s conference championship. She also swims the 100 back (56.73) and 200 freestyle (1:53.45), both of which should quickly become relevant at the conference level.
Sydney Colburn, a breaststroker from Highland Park, Ill., comes to Miami with lifetime bests of 1:03.94 and 2:27.20 in the 100 and 200, respectively. She joins fellow commit Martin and an accomplished group of returners in what should continue to be a strong breaststroke core for the RedHawks.
Ivy Richter, a versatile sprinter from Tai Tam, Hong Kong, joins the RedHawks with scoring potential in the 100 free (52.33), 100 back (57.56) and 100 fly (57.75).
Men
Highlighting the men’s class is Brazilian sprinter Diego Gonzalez Valentim. A transfer from Universidade Paulista and a native of Rio de Janeiro, Valentim will join the RedHawks in January, 2018, giving him the chance to make an immediate impact on a Miami sprint group that will look to repeat its conference title in the 200 freestyle relay. Valentim comes to Oxford with converted lifetime bests in the 50 (20.46), 100 (43.97) and 200 (1:38.37) freestyle that would have placed him 4th, 1st and 7th, respectively, at last year’s MAC championship.
Joining Valentim next fall will be an impressive core of sprinters, all of whom would have scored at the 2017 MAC championship and will look to improve several conference relays.
Ben Chatwin, a resident of Forest Lake, Minn., comes to Miami with lifetime bests of 20.99 and 46.13, in the 50 and 100 freestyle, respectively. He will also compete in the 200 free (1:43.81) and 100 fly (52.27).
Jacob Krzciok, a pure sprinter from Freeland, Mich., likewise joins the RedHawk program with best times of 20.89 in the 50 and 46.51 in the 100.
Nick Wamsley, a native of Pacific, Mo., rounds out the class of sprinters with personal bests of 20.90 and 46.79. Like Chatwin, he also brings competitive times in the 200 free (1:43.38) and 100 fly (52.51).
While sprint has been a focus for Miami this recruiting cycle, the team has also bolstered its distance crew, with the addition of Brandon Crist of Rochester, N.Y. Crist figures to be a major factor right away, entering the program with conference-scoring times in the 500 (4:33.76) and 1650 (15:54.79) free.
The RedHawks have likewise reinforced their fly group with the addition of Batavia, Ill. native Ryan Sego. With lifetime bests of 50.79 in the 100 and 1:49.19 (converted from meters) in the 200, Sego brings immediate scoring potential to an already impressive group.