@CanesSwimDive Announces Five-Member Signing Class
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Head swimming coach Andy Kershaw and head diving coach Randy Ableman of the University of Miami swimming & diving program announced the addition of five student-athletes to join the program for the 2016-17 season Wednesday.
Swimmers Chantal Noe (Ruesselheim, Germany), Ilianna Oikonomou (Athens, Greece), Claire McGinnis (Oakland Township, Mich.) and Leah Brown (Lansdale, Penn.), as well as diver Alicia Blagg (Wakefield, England), will all compete for the Hurricanes beginning this fall.
“This really ended up being a quality class for us and I am really excited about the future,” Kershaw said. “A few of these women have a chance at making a good impact at the national level as freshman, and all of them will help us continue our climb up the ACC ladder.”
Blagg is an accomplished international diver, having represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics where she finished seventh in the 3-meter synchro. Blagg was the 3-meter synchro champion at the 2016 Commonwealth Games, and has won six international gold medals and eight bronze medals.
“Alicia has a tremendous amount of talent and I can’t wait for us to go to work and do something great for the University of Miami,” Ableman said.
Noe, who signed with the Hurricanes during the fall semester, has impressed on the international junior stage for her native Germany, where she has posted times that would already translate as the top times for Miami in the 50-yard breaststroke (28.4 seconds), 100 breaststroke (1:00.90) and 200 breaststroke (2:10.50).
Her 200 breaststroke time also would have qualified her for this year’s NCAA Championships and set the school record by three seconds.
“Chantal seems to get faster every time she hits the water. She is going to be a great addition to our team immediately and for years to come,” Kershaw said. “She has NCAA Championship potential as soon as she steps on campus, and that is going to be a benefit to the entire program. I know that Julia (Schippert) can’t wait to train and improve with Chantal.”
Oikonomou is a sprint freestyle specialist from Greece, where she has posted impressive times in the 50 freestyle (22.80 seconds), 100 freestyle (49.90) and 200 freestyle (1:50.50). She has been a member of the Greek national swimming team since 2014, and has been the Greek national champion in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. She recently finished 11th at the World Junior Championships.
“I think we were very fortunate to land Ilianna. She is a hard worker with a sprinter’s fierceness, and that’s just the type of person we look for,” Kershaw said. “She already has a lot of strength, and I can’t wait to get her in our program and continue to add to her quickness. She should be a vital part of our relays for years to come.”
McGinnis joins the Hurricanes from her native Michigan, where she impressed in her final high school season after committing to Miami in 2015. Some of her best times are in distance events, where she posted a 200 freestyle time of 1:50.50, a 500 free time of 4:55.70, a 1,000 free time of 10:13.70 and a 1,650 freestyle time of 16:56.60.
“Claire is a great person that has had a tremendous senior year. After she committed to us in the fall she has really taken off in the pool with best times in all of her top events,” Kershaw said. “She will not only add to our force in competitions, but I’m sure she will be a driving force to our training daily. She comes from a great program, so I know she can do the work and will motivate others to do the same.”
Brown, another sprint freestyle specialist from Pennsylvania, figures to make an early impact at Miami after an impressive final season. Some of her tops times have come in the 50 freestyle (24.1 seconds), 100 free (53.60) and 200 free (1:54.60).
“Leah is a confident, determined young woman and I have no doubt that she has a lot of fast swimming ahead of her,” Kershaw said. “She has been a multi-sport athlete in high school, and that experience is going to pay off big for her in her collegiate swimming career. Once she gets into our land and swimming program I think she is going to get a lot stronger and a lot faster. She is coming off of a great season and I can’t wait to help her continue to improve.”
Kershaw said he expects the addition of the five newcomers to an already talented returning nucleus to equal a big season from the Hurricanes in 2016-17.
“It’s a diverse class in many ways, which I think adds to the college experience of everyone in the program,” Kershaw said. “I know the returnees are very excited for these girls to get to campus and become part of their Hurricane family.”
