University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Swim & Dive Announces 2020 Recruit Class
November 18, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
LOS ANGELESย โ Head Coach Jordan Wolfrum and the UCLA swim & dive program officially announced its 2020 recruit class on Monday, featuring seven standout athletes from California and the Pacific Northwest. The newest group of Bruins consists of six swimmers and one diver.
The list of signees includes Sam Baron (Bellevue, Wash), Greta Fanta (Encinitas, Calif.), Bailey Herbert (Surrey, B.C., Canada), diver Aurora Huxman (Big Bear, Calif.), Crystal Murphy (San Francisco, Calif.), Madeline Smith (Lafayette, Calif.), and Maya Wilson (Burbank, Calif.)
The group has combined for three NISCA All-America awards, three State Championships, and a Canadian National Championship.
"We are incredibly excited for our first recruiting class as a new staff," said Wolfrum. "These seven young women have a broad range of strengths and cover a wide range of events. We have athletes with experience at the state, national, and international levels. We have strong future leaders and passionate teammates. The most exciting part about this class is that every single one of these future Bruins is enthusiastic about the direction we are taking the culture and performance of this team."
Four of the swimmers and the one diver in the signing class hail from California: Fanta, Huxman, Murphy, Smith, and Wilson.
Meanwhile, the Bruins will be bringing in a pair of swimmers in from the Pacific Northwest in Baron, a two-time Washington State Champion, and Herbert, a Canadian National Champion in the 200 IM.
Huxman is poised to join a group of Bruin divers that is five-deep for the 2019-20 season and is on track to return everyone for the 2020-21 campaign.
"I look forward to Aurora joining a fully-returning group that is grinding to improve themselves daily," said UCLA head diving coach Tom Stebbins. "Aurora will add much-needed depth to all three of our events. She is a complete student-athlete and has goals well-aligned with those of our program."
Below are capsules on each of UCLA's new signees, including quotes from Wolfrum and Stebbins.ย
Sam Baron
Bellevue, Wash. (Newport HS)
Third-ranked swimmer in the state of Washington โฆ 2018 NISCA All-American โฆ 2019 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American โฆ 2018 Champion in the 200 IM at the Washington State Championship (2:00.86) โฆ Also won the 200 IM at the 2017 State Championships (2:02.71) โฆ Finished first in the 100 fly at the 2018 Pacific Northwest Swimming Senior Long Course Championships โฆ Won the 200 IM, 200 fly, and 400 IM at the 2019 Pacific Northwest Swimming Senior Championships (long course) โฆ Recorded an Olympic Trials Qualifying-cut in the 100 LCM fly with a time of 1:00.52 at the 2019 Speedo Junior Nationals.
Jordan Says: "The most exciting thing about Sam as a swimmer is her range. She swims anything from the 100 back to the 400 IM and will be a huge asset for the Bruins."
Greta Fanta
Encinitas, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic HS)
Won the 500 free at the CIF San Diego Section 2 Championships in 2018 (4:51.01) โฆ Placed first in the 1000 free (9:56.70) at the Speedo Champions Series in 2018 โฆ Was either second or third in the 500 free (4:47.14), 1000 free (9:50.03), and 1650 free (16:26.59) at the 2019 Speedo Champions Series; all those times are personal bests in short course distance events โฆ Qualified for Junior Nationals by swimming an 8:52.48 in the long course 800 free at the 2018 Los Angeles Invitational.
Jordan Says: "Greta is going to be a great addition to a strong, young distance program. She is a tough trainer and racer and will be a great competitor for the Bruins."
Bailey Herbert
Surrey, B.C., Canada (Langley & Abbotsford Olympians)
Is the 2019 Canadian National Champion in the 200 IM โฆ Won five events at the Speedo Western Canadian Championships in 2019: 100 breast, 400 IM, 50 breast, 200 IM, and 200 breast โฆ Member of Canada's Junior National Team โฆ Represented Canada at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Fiji โฆ Four-time champion at the BC Long Course Championships in 2017: 400 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM.
Jordan Says: "Bailey is an elite breaststroker and IM swimmer with experience on the national and world stage. She is going to be a serious asset to our relays and individual events at the Pac-12 and NCAA level."
Aurora Huxman
Big Bear Lake, Calif. (Big Bear HS)
Competed for SoCal Divers, coached by Scott Reich โฆ Qualified for Junior Nationals in both 2017 and 2018 โฆ 2018 Junior World Championships Trial Qualifier โฆ Champion in 1-meter and platform at the 2019 USA Diving Rising Starts West competition โฆ Was the fourth-place finisher at CIF Division 2 Championships in 2019 โฆ Was a long-time gymnast who trained at Level 9 before transitioning to diving in 2016 โฆ President of Friends of Big Bear High School, an organization modeled after Columbine's Friends of Rachel Scott.
Tom's Take:ย "Aurora is a really quick and exciting athlete. Her upside is tremendous. I especially look forward to watching her growth on platform. The work that Jimmy Adams and Scott Reich have done has given Aurora an excellent foundation to build upon."
Crystal Murphy
San Francisco, Calif. (Lowell HS)
Two-time NISCA All-American โฆ 2019 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American โฆ Finished sixth in the 100 fly at the 2018 California CIF State Championship with a time of 54.38 โฆ Reached the finals of five events at the 2018 Speedo Championship Series, the 200 fly (second), 100 free (third), 100 fly (third), 100 back (fifth), and 200 back (seventh).
Jordan Says: "Crystal is an exciting addition to our program. Her butterfly events in particular will help us. She is a passionate athlete and will make an outstanding Bruin."
Madeline Smith
Lafayette, Calif. (Campolindo HS)
Competed with Orinda Aquatics โฆ Placed seventh in the 200 IM at the 2019 California State Championship โฆ Was second in the 200 IM at the 2019 CIF NCS Championship โฆ Placed top-three in the 400 IM, 100 fly, and 200 IM at the Far Western regional meet in 2019.
Jordan Says: "Maddie's passion for the sport and her teammates make her an excellent addition. On top of that, her rate of improvement is unreal. As she continues to improve, Maddie could be a very impactful addition to our team."
Maya Wilson
Burbank, Calif. (Burroughs HS)
2019 California CIF Southern Section Division 3 Champion in the 200 free (1:49.94) โฆ Also placed fourth in the 100 fly at the section championship โฆ Holds eight individual school records at Burroughs HS โฆ Competes for Rose Bowl Aquatics โฆ 2017 All-Area Girls' Swimmer of the Year (Glendale News-Press) โฆ
Jordan Says: "Maya is coming off a great long course season with considerable improvement in her freestyle events. Her range from the 200 to the mile will be a great addition for us."
