Nov. 19, 2010

 

University of Missouri head swimming coach Greg Rhodenbaugh announced today that eight swimmers have signed national letters of intent to join the Missouri program, entering as freshman in fall of 2011.

Missouri will welcome Neil O'Halloran (Portland, Ore.), Connor Nolan (Southlake, Texas), Igor Kozlovskij (Klaipeda, Lithuania), Eegan Groome (Shriveport, La.), Mack Darragh (Ontario, Can.), Stephen Sobczak (Dexter, Mich.), Griffin Peavey (Leawood, Kan.), and Alex Glogoza (St. Peters, Mo.) to the program.

O'Halloran is ranked 26th nationally in the class of 2011 by collegeswimming.com, and is a talented swimmer excelling in the fly. He is an Olympic Trial Qualifier in the 100 fly, and his best time in the event stands at 48.42 (he also swims the 200 fly, with a personal best of 1:47.06). O'Halloran was named to the USA Swimming 2009-10 National Youth Team that competed in Stockholm, Sweden and Berlin, Germany. He also competes in the 200 free (best time: 1:40.61) and his long course times in 100 and 200 fly are 53.31 and 2:01.45, respectively. He chose Mizzou for several reasons, including "the great coaches, school, program, teammates, and the food."

"Neil comes in as the top fly recruit in the country," Rhodenbaugh said. "A versatile swimmer who will also help us in the middle distance free, he will make a huge impact during his freshman year."

Nolan is another top recruit for the Tigers, as he is ranked 21st nationally by collegeswimming.com. He is a versatile swimmer who competed in several events throughout high school and for the Dallas Mustang Swim Club. He has impressive personal bests in the 100 free (45.89), 200 free (1:38.44), 500 free (4:25.97), and 1650 free (15:38.48). He also competes in the 100 breast (58.34), 200 breast (2:05.56), 200 IM (1:49.62) and 400 IM (3:57.78). Nolan knew quickly that he would fit in well at Missouri. "Everything was perfect, from the team to the campus, coaches, and facilities," he said. "I can't wait for next year. Go Tigers!"

Said Rhodenbaugh: "Connor has come on very strong lately in his career... he had a great long course season and is one of the most versatile swimmers that has ever been recruited here at Mizzou. He swims middle distance free, IM and breaststroke on the national level."

Kozlovskij comes to Missouri from Lithuania, where he swam competitively enough to earn a national ranking of 12th overall from collegeswimming.com. His converted times are impressive: Kozlovskij's best times in the 100 breast and 200 breast are 54.14 and 1:58.99, and he also swims the 100 fly (48.45), 100 free (44.90) and 200 IM (1:49.95).

"His converted times are already faster than our school record in the 100 breast," said Rhodenbaugh. "He too has shown significant improvement and with the caliber of facilities and training he will get at Missouri he will make a significant impact in our conference during his freshman year. Even at his young age, he brings a wealth of international experience to our team."

Groome swam through high school for the First Colony Swim Team, where he posted best times of 3:56.13 in the 400 free and 15:41.94 in the 1500 free, long course meters. He was an Olympic Trials Qualifier in both events.

"We are so excited to have him in our program," Rhodenbaugh said. "He has been training on his own during the past couple of seasons and will flourish in an environment where he has someone to race on a daily basis. His converted mile time is already within a second of what it took to qualify for NCAA's last year."

Darragh continues the trend of Canadian swimmers attracted to the Missouri program, as he hails from Ontario, where he swam for the Oakville Aquatic Club. He was active in a variety of long course events, including 100 free (53.70), 100 fly and 200 fly (56.31 and 2:03.55), 100 back (59.91), 100 and 200 breast (1:06.06 and 2:21.92), and 200 and 400 IM (2:07.53 and 4:26.37). He also swam as a member of the 2010 Canadian North American Challenge Cup Team.

"Mack was the first of our three Canadians to sign with us," Rhodenbaugh said. "He is another very versatile swimmer that is talented in everything. He is a very young senior and still has lots of room for growth. At 16 years of age, his 200 IM and 400 IM swims are already faster thanthe NCAA `B' standard."

Sobczak swam for Club Wolverine in Michigan, and was also the third ranked Michigan sprinter after his junior year of high school. He posted best yard times of 45.74 in the 100 free and 51.24 in the 100 back.

"Stephen will really help our sprint freestyle at Missouri," Rhodenbaugh said. "As a junior, Stephen went 45.74 at the Michigan High School State Championships. Stephen has only been swimming year round for a couple of seasons and we believe he will vastly improve in his sprint free and backstroke during his senior season and freshman year here at Mizzou."

Peavey is a local prospect who swims for the Kansas City Blazers, and posted times of 57.28 in the 100 breast and 2:06.62 in the 200 breast. He also swims in the 200 IM (1:54.29) and 400 IM (4:13.00). Peavey is thrilled to join the team. "Mizzou has everything I want," he said. "They have a great team, great coaches, and their athletic program is outstanding. I'm so excited for next year."

"Griffin brings Missouri heritage to the program," Rhodenbaugh said. "Both his grandfather and father graduated from this great university. We are excited about the potential that he brings to the program in both his breaststrokes and IM's. It is always great to get the best local swimmers to stay and represent Missouri."

Finally, Glogoza is another Missouri native who swam for the Clayton Shaw Park Swim Team. He has long course best times of 25.44 in the 50 free, 54.52 in the 100 free, and 1:56.91 in the 200 free. Glogoza is not only a talented swimmer, but an outstanding student--his ACT Composite of 34 makes him eligible for the Mizzou Scholars Award.

"The tallest in our class of 2011, Alex comes to us from St. Louis," Rhodenbaugh said. "The academic opportunities are a big part of why he is coming to Mizzou. He has seen some major improvements during the last season and we are looking forward to what is to come."

Overall, Missouri coaches and swimmers are thrilled with the new class of talent that will be joining the program, and expect great things.

"Not only are all of these student-athletes very accomplished in the sports of swimming and diving, but they are also great people from great families," Rhodenbaugh said. "We are looking forward to them and their families joining our Mizzou family. With these additions, we are extremely excited for the future of Missouri Swimming and Diving."