Women's Swimming & Diving Newcomer Class Recognized Among Nation's Best
5/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
NEW YORK ? Columbia Swimming & Diving may have had its best season in 2007-08, and it appears even better things are to come. The Lions welcome a dozen newcomers to the team for 2008-09, including 11 swimmers and a diver. The class is impressive enough to have earned recognition among collegeswimming.com's "Beyond the Top 25 - Others to Keep an Eye On" May 20.
"We are very excited about the class of 2012," says head swim coach Diana Caskey. "It is a very well-balanced class with additions to virtually all events, with a particular emphasis on middle and distance free, which were areas of need for us."
Three individuals among the group have been named among collegeswimming.com's "Top 300" for this year's national recruiting class. Caitlin Rogers, a versatile swimmer who can compete in the fly, back and individual medley events, was ranked 175th among the top 300. She and Erin Kampschmidt represent Caskey's first recruits from Texas in her 17 years as head coach. Nicole Marsh, like Kampschmidt a distance freestyler, was ranked 218th. She hails from nearby Horace Mann High School. Allie Davitt, who swims i.m. and fly, was 281st.
The class is made up of individuals from nine states. "As a group, they are already fired up about the ways they will enhance our strong returning team," Caskey says of the class.
Columbia finished third at the Ivy League Championships in March, capping a season in which the team finished a program-best 9-2 overall and 5-2 Ivy League in dual competition.
| Name | Event | Hometown | High School |
| Dorothy Baker | Back, Mid Free | Minneapolis, Minn. | South |
| Allie Davitt | IM, Fly | Lake Forest, Ill. | Lake Forest |
| Paige Endsley | Mid Free | Richmond, Va. | Maggie L. Walker Governor's Sch. |
| Rachael Esman | Sprint Free | Baltimore, Md. | Towson |
| Stephanie Foster | Diving | Kansas City, Mo. | Bishop Meige |
| Erin Kampschmidt | Distance Free | Houston, Texas | Langham Creek |
| Nicole Marsh | Distance Free | Riverdale, N.Y. | Horace Mann |
| Elizabeth Munroe | IM, Distance Free | Bloomington, Ind. | Bloomington North |
| Jen Nerby | Distance Free | Summit, N.J. | Summit |
| Caitlin Rogers | Fly, Back, IM | Plano, Texas | Plano Senior |
| Jackie Smith | Breast, IM | Long Beach, N.Y. | Long Beach |
| Isabelle Vandenbrouke | IM, Free | Jacksonville, Fla. | Bolles School |
