The LSU swimming and diving teams’ 2014 recruiting classes was highlighted with swimmers and divers such as freshmen Haylee Knight, Summer Spradley, Lauren Thompson, Matthew McClellan, Matthew Phillip, Thomas Smith and Alarii Levreault-Lopez, who have made strides in the pool.
To build on a successful recruiting class, swimming coach Dave Geyer and diving coach Doug Shaffer scouted around the globe to sign 11 top-ranked recruits.
“You always want to build upon classes. Each class will hopefully be a little more talented and a little stronger,” Geyer said. “It’s always a process here. We look at four-year goals and four-year development, and if you look at our senior class and where they are right now, they’re surely not at the developmental point they were when they came in as freshman.
“Sometimes recruiting is hit or miss, but there’s definitely a significant amount of talent coming in that we’re excited about.”
Geyer signed a total of nine swimmers, including top-100 recruit Olivia Paskulin. Paskulin, a Quebec, Canada, native, is a two-time Olympic-trial qualifier and a three-time World Championship Trials participant.
The only male signee of the 2015 recruiting class, Sven Saemundsson is another top-100 recruit for the Tigers. Saemundsson, a Croatia native, has competed in the International Swimming Federation World Championships and will bring experience as a distance competitor to the pool for the Tigers.
Lizzie Cui and Makayla Robillard will fill in the absence of graduating seniors Allie Alter and Cassie Weil.
Robillard, an Orlando, Florida, native, competed at the 2015 YMCA 16-21 National Championships, where she cruised through the one and three-meter competitions and the platform event. Cui will make the move to Baton Rouge from Auckland, New Zealand. Cui is a member of the New Zealand national team and is a five-time national champion.
“These two young women will definitely fill a hole that Cassie and Allie will leave, so they’ll step in immediately,” Shaffer said. “Lizzie brings a wealth of international experience. I could go on and on about her athletic accolades and the level of international competition experience that she brings to us.
“Makayla has been competing at the age group, junior and national level since she was able to walk. She’s been a competitor that’s finaled at those levels. I think the world of that recruiting class of diving and what they’re going to bring to our program.”
Of the 11 recruits signed to the team, the swimmers and divers hail from Canada, Croatia, New Zealand, Idaho, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia and Louisiana.
Geyer said the team’s diversity is what LSU is all about.
“It’s what we do, sort of a buckshot-type recruiting process. We aim all over,” Geyer said. “Once we get that interest, we’ll try to build that. Different areas of the United States have been stronger for us in the past. With this recruiting class, it’s really all over. It’s a pretty diverse class, but if you look at our roster, that’s what we have anyway.”