Swim & Dive Announces 2019 Recruit Class
December 11, 2018 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELES โ The UCLA swimming & diving program and head coach Cyndi Gallagher officially unveiled its 2019 recruitย class on Tuesday, featuring 10 talented athletes both from inside California and around the country. The class consists of eight swimmers and two divers.
The list of signees include Hannah Butler (Rochester, N.Y. / Brighton HS), Gabby Dang (Bothell, Wash. / North Creek HS), Daniella Hawkins (San Ramon, Calif. / California HS), Lauryn Johnson (Rockville Centre, N.Y. / Sacred Heart Academy), Sophia Kosturos (Orinda, Calif. / Miramonte HS), Rachel Rhee (Encinitas, Calif. / La Costa Canyon HS), Brooke Schaffer (Mountain View, Calif. / St. Francis HS), Katelynn Shaheen (La Canada, Calif. / Crescenta Valley HS), Lindsay Stenstrom (Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Valor Christian HS), and Stephanie Su (Buena Park, Calif. / Mater Dei HS).
Among the incoming Bruins, nine were named All-Americans this past season by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA), four won State Championships, and another four won events at their section championships.
"We're very excited about this new group of Bruins, who we think will be able to step in and immediately show results in the pool," said UCLA head coach Cyndi Gallagher. "This group is full of great team players who are excited to be Bruins. Credit to [associate head swimming coach] Naya Higashijima and [head diving coach] Tom Stebbins for putting this class together."
Six of the swimmers in the signing class hail from California: Hawkins, Kosturos, Rhee, Schaffer, Shaheen, and Su.
"It's always a priority of ours to recruit well in California," said Gallagher. "This group continues that trend. They have succeeded at the club and high school levels, and we think that will help them prepare against the elite competition found on the West Coast at the Division I level."
Meanwhile, the Bruins will be bringing in a pair of New Yorkers in Butler and Johnson and swimmers from both Colorado (Stenstrom) and Washington (Dang).
The two divers in the class, Butler and Shaheen, will help provide depth to a diving group that is set to lose four graduating seniors after the 2018-19 season.
"I am incredibly excited to welcome two excellent student-athletes and, more importantly, people into our family," said UCLA head diving coach Tom Stebbins. "Both Hannah and Katie will make great contributions immediately to the program. I am thrilled to get to work with them starting next fall. They've got big shoes to fill, but I believe they are up to the challenge."
Below are capsules on each of UCLA's new signees, including quotes from head swimming & diving coach Cyndi Gallagher and head diving coach Tom Stebbins.
Hannah Butler
Rochester, N.Y (Brighton HS)
Won the New York State Championship at the 2018 NYSPHSAA Girls Diving Championships with a score of 530.60 โฆ Qualified for the 2018 Diving Junior National Championships โ she placed eighth in 1m (409.60) after placing second in the prelims โ and the USA Diving Zone A Championships โฆ Won both the 1m and 3m at the 2018 Niagara District Diving Championships as well as the Niagara District Holiday Diving Invitational.
Tom's Take: "Hannah is truly just coming into her own as a diving athlete. She is the product of careful development and planning. Her coach, Cliff Devries, has set Hannah up for long-term success in the sport. I am really looking forward to her joining us in September and getting to work on her springboard dive lists."
Gabby Dang
Bothell, Wash. (North Creek HS)
Two-Time NISCA All-American โฆ Two-time Scholastic All-American โฆ 2017 Washington 4A State Champion in the 100 free (49.98) and runner-up in the 50 free (22.95) โฆ Excels in the fly, where she posted personal bests of 25.74 in the 50 fly and 52.77 in the 100 fly โฆ Finished fourth in the 100 fly (52.82) at the Winter Junior Nationals.
Cyndi Says: "Gabby is great underwater, which is a huge plus for short course swimming. Washington, my home state, has been a great pipeline of talent for this program and Gabby will continue that tradition when she gets to Westwood."
Daniella Hawkins
San Ramon, Calif. (California HS)
2018 NISCA All-American โฆ Finished second in the 500 free at the 2018 CIF North Coast Section Championships, finishing in 4:49.65 โฆ Was the 10th place finisher in the 800 free at the 2018 Speedo Junior Nationals, finishing in 8:52.28 โฆ Also at Junior Nationals, was 19th in the 400 free โฆ Qualified for the 2018 US Winter Nationals, where she was 18th in the 800 free.
Cyndi Says: "Daniella is a very solid distance freestyle swimmer, and alongside Stephanie Su, will help us enhance our distance group in the years to come. She comes from a prestigious club program with a strong tradition of success, so we're very glad to have her."
Lauryn Johnson
Rockville Centre, N.Y. (Sacred Heart Academy)
Two-time NISCA All-American โฆ Two-time Scholastic All-American โฆ Won the 1000 free at the 2018 Metropolitan Short Course Winter Championships โฆ Qualified for nine events and competed in seven at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships โฆ Competed in the 100 free (57.62), 100 fly (1:01.66, 21st), 200 free (2:04.45), and 1500 free (17:32.91) at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships โฆ Raced in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 400 free at the 2018 US Winter Nationals.
Cyndi Says: "Lauryn just keeps on improving as time goes on. She is versatile and will be able to help us anywhere from the 100 fly to the 1650 free."
Sophia Kosturos
Orinda, Calif. (Miramonte HS)
Two-time NISCA All-American โฆ Two-time Scholastic All-American โฆ Was a two-time champion at the 2018 CIF North Coast Section Championships, winning both the 50 free and 100 free โฆ At the 2018 CIF State Championships, placed second in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free โฆ Swam in six events at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships, including the 100 free (57.37), 100 back (1:04.72), and 50 free (26.53) โฆ Placed fifth in the 100 back (53.71) at the 2018 Winter Junior Nationals โฆ Was 11th in the 100 fly (53.98) at Winter Juniors.
Cyndi Says: "Sophia is another up-and-coming sprinter; she can help us in sprint free, fly, and back. She has the ability to contribute in both individual events and relays."
Rachel Rhee
Encinitas, Calif. (La Costa Canyon HS)
Two-time NISCA All-American โฆ 2017 Scholastic All-American โฆ Six-time CIF San Diego Section champion โฆ Had a standout showing at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships, finishing seventh in the 50 free at 26.11 โฆ Placed top-25 in another three individual events, including 16th in the 100 breast (1:11.98) and 22nd in both the 100 free (57.28) and 200 free (2:03.87) โฆ Had four top-20 finishes at the 2018 Winter Junior Nationals, including 10th in the 100 breast (1:01.81) and 12th in the 500 free (4:49.41). ย
Cyndi Says: "Rachel swims in a variety of events. She is extremely hard-working and will help us in both individual events and in relays."
Brooke Schaffer
Mountain View, Calif. (St. Francis HS)
Two-time NISCA All-American โฆ Two-time Scholastic All-American โฆ Won two events at the 2018 CIF Central Coast Section Championships, placing first in both the 50 free (22.95) and 100 fly (55.32) โฆ Finished second in the 50 free at the 2018 CIF State Championships (22.88) โฆ โฆ Competed in four individual events and one relay at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships โฆ Best individual result came in the 50 free, where she was 35th with a time of 26.66 โฆ Also raced in the 100 free (58.29), 100 fly (1:03.52), and 200 free (2:07.97) โฆ Competed in the 50 free and 100 fly at the 2018 Winter Junior Nationals.ย
Cyndi Says: "Brooke comes from a family of Bruins, so we're very excited for her to continue the family tradition. She will help us in sprint and fly, and relays are her favorite thing to swim."
Katelynn Shaheen
La Canada, Calif. (Crescenta Valley HS)
2018 NISCA All-American โฆ Won the 1m at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Championships in 2017, scoring 478.45 โฆ Improved her score at the 2018 CIF Sections, up to 490.90, but placed second โฆ Boasts personal bests of 494.90 in 1m and 436.15 in 3m โฆ Qualified for the Diving Junior National Championships and USA Diving Zone F Championships this summer โฆ 2018 Mission League Champion in Springboard.
Tom's Take: "Katie is a World Junior Trial finalist on platform and should help take some of sting out of losing Eloise and Traci next fall. Her coach, Isabell Saakian, has done an excellent job of bringing Katie along and building her into a gritty competitor. Katie will help us in all three events right away."
Lindsay Stenstrom
Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Valor Christian HS)
Three-time NISCA All-American โฆ 2017 Colorado State Champion in the 50 free โฆ Helped break state records in the 200 free and 400 free relays at Valor Christian High School โฆ Qualified for the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships, and competed in the 2018 Winter Junior Nationals.
Cyndi Says: "Lindsay is a solid back and freestyler. We're looking forward to seeing her unlock her potential. She comes from an athletic family, and we are glad to have her be a part of the Bruin family."
Stephanie Su
Buena Park, Calif. (Mater Dei HS)
Two-time NISCA All-American โฆ Two-time Scholastic All-American โฆ Placed third in the 500 free (4:49.09) at the 2018 CIF State Championships โฆ Was second in the 500 free at the 2018 CIF San Joaquin Section Championships (4:49.42) โฆ Swam three events at the 2018 Speedo Junior National Championships, finishing top-20 in two and top-30 in all three โฆ Top result came in the 800 free, where she was 16th at 8:57.08 โฆ Placed 17th in the 1500 free (17:03.71) and 26th in the 400 free (4:22.23) โฆ Qualified for the 2018 US Winter Nationals, where she placed 17th in the 1500 free.
Cyndi Says: "Stephanie is a standout distance swimmer. Between her, Daniella Hawkins, and [current UCLA freshman] Katie Sulkevich, we have a strong training group that will push each other every day."
Players Mentioned
