Women's Swimming Signs Ten
November 25, 2009 | Swimming & Diving
Nov. 25, 2009
The University of Louisville Women's Swimming and Diving Team welcomed ten newcomers during the early signing period in 2009. "This is a very impressive group of young ladies. They will undoubtedly be significant players in the future success of the program." announced Albiero. The Louisville team will be joined by: Krissie Brandenburg (Edgewood, KY), Emily Conway (Huntersville, NC), Nicole Glazer (Chevy Chase, MD), Gisselle Kohoyda (Midland, MI), Lindsey LaPorte (Scottsdale, AZ) Breann McDowell (Mason, OH), Mary Mittel (Louisville, KY), Carly Munchel (York, PA), Samantha Ormand (Bessemer City, NC), and Brittany Walsh (Muskego, WI).
Krissie Brandenburg, the 2009 Kentucky High School Female Swimmer of the Year and two time state champion will be joining the Louisville Cardinals next year from the Northern Kentucky Clippers Swim Team. Krissie currently holds three Kentucky High School State records, 15 team records, and is a US Open and USA Senior National qualifier. She placed 4th in the 50 backstroke, 7th in the 100 backstroke, and 15th in the 100 freestyle earlier this year at the Junior National Championships. Her current best times are 54.91 in the 100 yd backstroke and 50.26 in the 100 yd freestyle.
"We are thrilled to have Krissie as a Cardinal! She is one of the top sprint prospects in the country this year and will significantly intensify the competition for our relays." said Albiero. Krissie is also a two time Scholastic All-American and is interested in studying engineering.
Emily Conway becomes a member of the 2010 Cardinal team from Swim MAC of the Carolinas in North Carolina, coached by Olympic assistant and former Auburn head coach, David Marsh. Her many swimming accomplishments include 2nd place finishes in the 400 IM and 100 fly at the North Carolina Senior State meet. In addition, she has been named to the 2009 All-American and All-State team. As a student at Hopewell High school, Emily is a three time Scholastic All-American and a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. Her best times include: 55.16 in the 100 yd butterfly, 2:04.06 in the 200 yd butterfly, and 4:26.97 in the 400 yd IM.
"Emily is an outstanding and hard-working student-athlete. Her persistence in the pool and the classroom will be a great value to the success of our program." said Albiero.
Diver Nicole Glazer, comes to the University of Louisville from Montgomery Dive Club, a high profile diving team in Maryland. Her extensive U.S. Diving training will help her move right into NCAA competitions. Her strongest event at this point is the platform event with a tenth place finish at this past summers National Age Group Championships.
"With some intense strength and conditioning and diving training at the college level, her spring board events will improve greatly and she will be a valuable asset to the University of Louisville swimming and diving program." said Zehnder.
Breaststroker Gisselle Kohoyda, from Midland, Michigan and the Barracuda Swim Team will be joining the outstanding Louisville breaststroke group. This summer, Gisselle competed at the Speedo Series Sectional Championships winning the 200 LC breaststroke in a time of 2:35.53, setting a new pool record at Miami of Ohio University. She was the only high school aged swimmer to win an event during that championship. She is a 2008 Michigan High School State champion and currently holds four Midland High school records.
"Gisselle had a great break out summer and we are excited to work with her and tap into her full potential. She has great discipline and focus to reach her goals." said Albiero.
Olympic Trial qualifier and Arizona High School State Champion, Lindsey LaPorte, joins University of Louisville from Pinnacle High School and the Scottsdale Aquatic Club in Arizona. Lindsey recently completed her high school career competing at the 2009 5A Division II Arizona High School State Championships where she won the100 freestyle and earned All-American status with a time of 51.28. Her times posted to date are 1:49.63 and 4:50.98 in the 200 and 500 freestyle; and 55.91 and 1:59.66 in the 100 and 200 backstroke, respectively. Along with her many swimming accomplishments, Lindsey is a Scholar Athlete Award winner and Treasurer of her high school National Honor Society.
"Lindsey is a very versatile swimmer and will make an immediate impact on the team and conference. She has such a positive attitude and drive about life, it will be a pleasure to have her on the team and watch her develop." said Albiero. Lindsey is also very active at Highlands Church where she volunteers as a special needs leader.
The Louisville Cardinals will welcome Breann McDowell from the other side of the river in Mason, OH and Ursuline Academy. Breann is the 2009 Ohio State Champion in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:49.66 and was named the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Swim Athlete of the Year. She is a 10 time Division 1 Ohio High School State Medalist and a 10 time High School All-American.
"Breann brings a great combination of work ethic and potential. We have only begin to see what she is capable of and expect her to be a fierce competitor in the Big East and NCAA." said Albiero. Outside the pool, Breann is very involved in the Athletes Impact Youth Group where she has traveled to Mexico n a mission trip to build orphanages.
Standout swimmer, Mary Mittel, joins the Cardinals by way of Mike Deboor and the Lakeside Seahawks where she leads the team as captain. She is a USA Senior National qualifier is the 50 yd freestyle with a time of 26.65, 100 LC butterfly with a 1:02.85, and 100 LC backstroke with a 1:04.82. She is the Vice-President of the student body at Saint James Academy in Louisville. Mary comes from a long lineage of Cardinal Swimmers, following in the footsteps of her two older brothers', Joseph and Gavin.
"We are thrilled to welcome one of the top Kentucky swimmers to our program. We have a special place in our hearts for Louisville natives. We have watched Mary develop for years and we are excited that she will be making her own mark on the program while continue to grow into an exceptional student-athlete." said Albiero.
Distance freestyle specialist Carly Munchel comes from Spring Grove High School in York, Pennsylvania where she is on the Distinguished Honor Roll. As a member of West Shore YMCA Swim Team, Carly has competed at the 2009 YMCA State where she won the 500 free and YMCA Long Course Nationals Championships where she placed third in the 800 and 1500 freestyle with times of 9:02.08 and 17:08.59 respectively. Carly is interested in studying Elementary Education and is an active member in the Future Educators Club.
"Carly comes from a great club distance program and she is just starting to scratch the surface of what she is capable of achieving in the pool. She is a proven competitor, and it will be fun to watch her continued improvements over the next few years. She also has such a great personality and is so much fun to be around." said Albiero.
US Senior National qualifier, Samantha Ormand, will also be joining the Cardinals next year from Swim MAC of the Carolinas. Sam has been a North Carolina Swimming All-Star since 2004 and was named the North Carolina Swimmer of the year in 2006. Her National qualifying times of 23.60 in the 50 yd freestyle, 51.10 in the 100 yd freestyle, and 1:04.35 in the 100 LC backstroke will add to Louisville's strength in the sprint events.
"Sam is a self-motivated individual who will no doubt help us in the sprint relay events. With her willpower, I see her vastly improving while at the University of Louisville." Albiero says. Sam has also been on the honor roll during her academic career at Gaston Christian School and is a two time Scholastic All-American.
Brittany Walsh, will help add strength to the distance freestyle events next year for the Cardinals. Brittany placed 2nd in the 500 free and 3rd in the 200 freestyle at the Wisconsin High school State meet where she also broke her school record and earn All- American status. This spring, Brittany showed vast improvement at the Speedo Series Sectional meet in Wisconsin when she won the 1000 freestyle in a time of 10:04.28.
"We are excited that Brittany chose to be a Cardinal next year. She is a hardworking, driven, and very motivated student-athlete. Another proven competitor" said Albiero.
"All of these women will be major contributors to the program, and the expectation will certainly be high. We will go to work and continue to do what we have done best as a program: individual development. There is clearly great potential in this class and this group of young ladies will be the backbone of the program for years to come" said Albiero.
