University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Women's Swimming and Diving Adds 15 Recruits to 2002-03 Team
5/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Women's Swimming and Diving Adds 15 Recruits to 2002-03 Team
5/9/2002
PITTSBURGH- University of Pittsburgh head swimming coach Chuck Knoles has announced the addition of 15 swimmers and divers to the women's program for the 2002-03 season. The Panthers won the 2002 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships and finished in fifth place in the Big East Conference.
The newcomers will include Jessica Adams, Courtney Budd, Kate Butrie, Laura Campbell, Kristin Criner, Nicole Ebert, Kelli Krallman, Colleen Kristobak, Erin Leisey, Kenndra Mack, Mary Ann McCauley, Amy Miteff, Rebecca Mrljak, Kelly Redcay and Whitney Severino.
Adams (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) is one of four divers that have joined the 2002-03 Panthers. She has only been in competitions for 18 months and finished 17th at this past year's Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League district championships.
Budd (State College, Pa./State College) was a member of her high school tema's third-place 200 freestyle relay and fifth-place 400 free relay at the PIAA Class AAA Championships this past winter.
Butrie (Orefeild, Pa./Parkland) helped Parkland to a second-place finish at the state championships in 2002 and led them to a state title in 2001. She is a three-time All-American and a member of the state-record-setting 400 free relay team. Her times of 1:52.70 and 5:03.21 in the 200 and 500 free, respectively, will add much needed depth in the middle distance events.
Campbell (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) won both the 50 and 100 freestyle races at the 2002 Virginia state championships. She has swum a 23.71 in the 50 free and 51.71 in the 100 free. She can also contribute in the butterfly events.
Criner (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Radnor) should add immediate depth to the Panther sprint freestylers. She placed fifth in both the 50 and 100 free at the Pennsylvania Class AA championships. She also competed in the 2001 state meet, finishing in the top six in both events as well.
Ebert (Spring, Texas/Klein) is a three-time Speedo Champions Series sectional champion, winning the "mile" at that meet for the second consecutive season. Last summer, she claimed the top sport in the 800 free at the same meet. Ebert will also help the Panthers in butterfly events.
Krallman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) helped her high school team to three consecutive Ohio state titles. Her times of 56.6 seconds in the 100 butterfly, 2:04.23 in the 200 fly and 4:28.81 in the 400 individual medley will put her in the starting lineup in those events immediately.
Kristobak (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) finished as the runner-up in the 2002 PIAA Diving Championships after placing 23rd as a junior in 2001. She has also competed and placed at the regional USA Diving competitions.
Leisey (Reading, Pa./Reading) is another diver that used to compete in gymnastics as well. She placed 13th at the 2002 Pennsylvania state meet who will add considerable depth to a diving squad that returns just one athlete from the 2001-02 squad.
Mack (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) was a teammate of current Panther Jenny Livingstone (Endwell, N.Y./Union-Endicott) in high school and placed third at the 2001 New York state diving championships, moving up 13 spots from her finish in 2000.
McCauley (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) placed seventh in the 100 butterfly with a time of 58.85 seconds at the PIAA Championships this past year. Knoles expects her to contribute immediately to the Pittsburgh fly team in 2002-03.
Miteff (Wellington, Fla./Wellington) placed second at the 2002 Florida state meet in the 100 fly and was the fourth-place finisher in the 100 backstroke. She was born in Pittsburgh and returns to add a great deal of versatility. She has swum competitively in the 200 fly as well, an event Knoles wants her to specialize in as soon as possible.
Mrljak (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) is a multi-time state, sectional and Eastern zone qualifier in the 100 and 200 breaststroke as well as the 200 individual medley.
Redcay (Reading, Pa./Wilson) is a four-time relay high school All-American. She also holds the Wilson High School records in the 50 and 100 freestyle. She has split times of 23.65 and 51.94 in those events on Wilson's relay teams.
Severino (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) is a talented flyer and backstroker and should add much needed depth in both evnets. Her times of 1:00.37 in the 100 back and 1:00.33 in the 100 fly already place her among the best on the Panthers.
"Adding 15 quality athletes to the team while losing only two to graduation makes this recruiting class one of the strongest in recent years and speaks well for the foundation for future success," Knoles said.
