Dec. 17, 2010
Also: Men's Swimming & Diving Adds Five Recruits for 2011-12
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Head Coach John Hargis has announced the addition of six standout recruits who will begin competing for the Penn State women's swimming & diving program starting with the 2011-12 season.
Megan Harris, Caitlyn Karr, Katelyn Miller, Yuri Nakano, Allie Roberts, and Megan Siverling will all join the Nittany Lions next fall. An accomplished group of swimmers, the six Pennsylvania natives have all pieced together outstanding resumes during their respective careers.
"We're very excited about the young ladies that we have coming in," said Hargis. "They're Pennsylvania kids who want to be part of something special and felt at home when they came on campus. They wanted to be a part of what Penn State is about from an academic standpoint as well as athletically. All of these kids are unbelievable students, and they're going to be great leaders in our community one day. We're lucky to have them as part of the Penn State family."
Along with Hargis, the entire swimming staff at Penn State worked tirelessly to put together a recruiting class that looks to serve as a cornerstone of the Nittany Lion program in the coming years.
"Recruiting is a full-time job," said Hargis. "I want to commend the staff that I have, from Aaron Workman, our men's recruiting coordinator, to Liz Klink, our women's recruiting coordinator, and really, our entire staff for the hours that they've put in. They put in the time to assemble a class that we think is really going to help us jump back on the national scene. We're very excited for these young people coming in, and we're very excited for them to be part of the blue and white."
PSU Women's Swimming & Diving Recruits
MEGAN HARRIS
Hometown: Havertown, Pa.
High School: Downingtown West High School
High School Coach: Eric Snook and Brian Brucker
Club: Upper Main Line YMCA
Club Coach: Glenn Neufeld
Intended Major: Undecided
Honors and Highlights: Earned All-American honors for her performance in the 100-breaststroke as a senior...Finished third in the event at the PIAA State Championship meet, earning All-State accolades...Received Honorable Mention All-State laurels as a junior in the 100-breaststroke after placing ninth in the state meet...Guided Downingtown West to consecutive Ches-Mont Championships...Competed in the YMCA Nationals and qualified for the Junior Nationals.
Harris on Penn State: "I chose Penn State because of its great atmosphere for educational, athletic, and social growth."
Hargis on Harris: "Megan is from one of the top Y-teams in the country. Watching her come in and adapt to college swimming will be fun. The future for her is very bright. What we think she can do in her four years here is pretty exciting. It will be fun to watch her mature into a wonderful swimmer."
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CAITLYN KARR
Hometown: Reading, Pa.
High School: Wilson High School
High School Coach: Tom Houck
Club: Wilson Aquatic Club
Club Coach: Tom Houck
Intended Major: Sports Medicine / Nursing
Honors and Highlights: A 13-time All-American selection during her career...Captured the 2007-08 PIAA State Championship in the 200-freestyle relay...Holds several Berks County and Wilson High School records...Led Wilson to the 2010 PIAA State Championship...Selected as the team captain for the 2010-11 campaign.
Karr on Penn State: "I chose Penn State because of the great support system they have for their student-athletes, the high intensity of school spirit, and the closeness I felt with the team."
Hargis on Karr: "What Caitlyn's already done with the limited background she has is unreal. She's going to be an individual who is going to walk on this campus and do some special things. What she will provide us with from a depth standpoint and a leadership standpoint are pretty remarkable. She will be a major player on relays and in the 100-free and 200-free."
KATELYN MILLER
Hometown: Hershey, Pa.
High School: Hershey High School
High School Coach: Greg Fastrich
Club: Hershey Aquatic Club
Club Coach: Greg Fastrich
Intended Major: Undecided science
Honors and Highlights: Captured the PIAA AAA State Championship in the 50-freestyle as a junior...Also won the state title in the 200-medley relay in 2010 and the 400-freestyle relay in 2008...Earned three conference titles, including back-to-back 100-fly championships...Led Hershey to a second-place showing in the AAA state meet in 2008 and 2009 while capturing three consecutive conference titles...Qualified for the NCSA Junior Nationals three times and the Speedo Short Course Junior Nationals during the last two seasons.
Miller on Penn State: "I chose Penn State because of the incredible atmosphere, the amazing people, and the chance to attend a school with the outstanding stature Penn State has."
Hargis on Miller: "Katelyn competes at the Hershey Aquatic Club for Greg Fastrich. For the size club he has down there, he's turning out some of the best swimmers, not only in the state of Pennsylvania, but also the country. We're lucky to have Katelyn, who is one of the best he's turned out in a long time. She's a sprinter and will be in the 50, 100, and 100-fly. She's going to blossom in a college environment. We're really excited to have her in the Penn State family."
YURI NAKANO
Hometown: Hershey, Pa.
High School: Hershey High School
High School Coach: Greg Fastrich
Club: Hershey Aquatic Club
Club Coach: Greg Fastrich
Intended Major: Undecided
Honors and Highlights: Broke a pair of records during the 2010 Mid-Penn Championships...Set a new standard in the 100-freestyle and served as the lead leg of the record-breaking 200-medley relay squad...Captured the AAA District 3 gold medal in the 100-butterfly and 100-backstroke...Teamed with fellow Nittany Lion recruit Katelyn Miller to win the 2010 PIAA 200-medley relay title...Competed in the Junior National Championships.
Nakano on Penn State: "Penn State has a really nice swimming program and a lot of nice academic programs as well."
Hargis on Nakano: "Not many people know about Yuri. She spent most of her life in Japan. This is her third year in America. She has ambitions to represent Japan in the Olympics, and we're going to do everything we can to get her there. She's got the tools and the work ethic, and we're excited to have her here."
ALLIE ROBERTS
Hometown: Emmaus, Pa.
High School: Emmaus High School
High School Coach: Tim O'Connor
Club: Parkland Aquatic Club
Club Coach: Erik Posegay
Intended Major: Business Marketing
Honors and Highlights: An eight-time All-State selection and seven-time All-American honoree...Set the Pennsylvania record in the 200-medley relay...Finished third in the 100-backstroke twice during the PIAA state meet...Led Emmaus to back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009...Set school records in the 200-medley relay, 100-fly, 100-back, and 400-freestyle relay...Competed in the 2010 Conco Phillips Nationals and the Youth Olympic Games...Also swam in the 2008 and 2009 Junior Nationals...Stands as the Girls 15-16 Middle Atlantic 100-backstroke LCM record holder.
Roberts on Penn State: "I chose Penn State because of the excellent balance of academics and athletics as well as the great opportunities Penn State offers to all of its students. I was impressed with the team and coaches on my visit and wanted to be a part of something like that."
Hargis on Roberts: "Allie is the No. 1 recruit in the state of Pennsylvania and one of the top backstrokers in the country. Anytime we can keep kids at home, that's what we want to do. She's excited to be in the blue and white, and she's excited to represent her home state university here at Penn State. We're very excited to have her as part of the program. She can do some pretty special things long-term. She represented the USA at a meet overseas this past summer and has ambitions to continue representing America in the future. As a staff, we're going to do everything we can to get her there."
MEGAN SIVERLING
Hometown: Chester Springs, Pa.
High School: Downingtown East High School
High School Coach: Janet Bright
Club: Malvern Swimming Association
Club Coach: Pete Lee
Intended Major: Undecided
Honors and Highlights: Earned high school All-American honors in 2008 and 2010...State finalist in the 200-freestyle in 2010...Was a district medalist in the 200- and 500-freestyle events last season...Garnered 2010 Chester County All-Area First Team honors...Selected as the team captain for the 2010-11 campaign...Served on the state finalist 400-freestyle relay team in 2008 and 2009...Medaled in the 200-freestyle relay in 2008...Captured the 2008 District championship in the 200-freestyle relay and 400-freestyle relay.
Siverling on Penn State: "I loved the integrity and energy that every Penn Stater seems to have. The great academics, large selection of majors, and successful swimming program make opportunities on this campus limitless, and the team atmosphere among the swimmers made me feel instantly at home."
Hargis on Siverling: "Megan is a member of the Penn State family. She wanted to stay here and get the exceptional education that she's going to receive. She wanted to be a part of our athletic tradition. Keeping her in blue and white was something we definitely wanted to do, and we're excited that we were able to do it."
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