Nov. 17, 2010
The Vanderbilt women’s swim team added six student-athletes to its 2011 recruiting class, head coach Jeremy Organ announced Wednesday. The Commodores will welcome Caroline Thomas, Chrissy Oberg, Liz Freeman, Elly Faulkner, Lauren Torres and Alexis Mayhall to Nashville next fall.
“I’m really excited about this class and I think they have the potential to be one of the strongest classes in the program’s history,” said Vanderbilt swim coach Jeremy Organ. “They will be able to step in and help fill holes right away.
Highly-touted recruit Caroline Thomas hails from Louisville, Ky., where she attends DuPont Manual high school. The freestyle swimmer competes for the Lakeside Seahawks under coach Mike DeBoor and has swam the 50 freestyle in a time of 23.38 and the 100 freestyle in 50.98. The achievements Thomas has had in the water have earned her First Team All-State honors as well as an All-American honors in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle. Thomas is the state record holder in Kentucky for women’s LC 15-18 50-meter freestyle. Outside the pool, Thomas is an outstanding student who boasts a 4.113-weighted GPA and plans on studying Economics and History at Vanderbilt.
“Caroline is extremely fast and is definitely one of the top athletes we are bringing in and she is going to be a huge contributor for us,” said assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Krysten Nemecek. “She’s a sprint freestyler and she’s in a position where she can come in and bring a lot to the table for our relay teams.
Chrissy Oberg looks to excel in both the pool and in the classroom for the Commodores. The senior from Spartanburg has been regarded as the top high school swimmer in the state of South Carolina and Swimming World Magazine ranks her as a five-star recruit. Oberg competes for the Swim Spartanburg club team under coach Mike Faltraco and has excelled in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard backstroke, swimming in times of 55.92 and 1:59.57, respectively. Obert has also set a high mark in the 200-yard butterfly, swimming in a time of 2:02.30. Aside from the swimming accolades, Oberg has been named a USA Academic All-American at Spartanburg high school.
“She is a really fantastic swimmer,” Nemecek said of Oberg. “We are really excited about what she is going to do for us. She could really do a lot for our program and she has the potential to break a lot of records.”
Liz Freeman has been an excellent swimmer at Great Atlanta Christian high school, where she posted a 3.76 GPA, for coach Beth McGee and the Swim Atlanta club team under coach Chris Davis. The senior from Atlanta, Ga., swam lifetime-bests during the long course season in the 100-meter butterfly (1:04.19), 200-meter butterfly (2:19.63) and the 1000-meter freestyle (10:29.60). Freeman will continue her family legacy at Vanderbilt where her mother, Mary, and father, Lee, are alumni.
“Liz has Vanderbilt in her family with both her parents coming here,” Nemecek said. “She knows what she is expected to do as far as academics go and I think that she will be really well prepared for college.”
Faulkner is a senior at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Ky., and swims for the Lakeside Seahawks club team under coach Mike DeBoor. The All-American has posted a lifetime-best time of 1:03.93 in the 100-yard breaststroke and a 2:20.46 in the 200-yard breaststroke. Faulkner has won team MVP for her club team twice and three times for her high school team while maintaining a 3.67 GPA.
“I think that Elly has a ton of potential and I’ve watched her swim for a long time,” Nemecek said. “I really look forward to seeing what she is going to do and I think that overall she might be the most excited about coming to Vanderbilt. She’s been thinking about this for a long time.”
Torres has had a successful swimming career for coach Patrick Nalley of Sun Devil Aquatics club in Phoenix, Ariz. The senior at Desert Vista high school has earned a 3.3 GPA while swimming under coach Shawn O’Connel. Torres posted lifetime-bests in the 200-yard butterfly (2:03.05), 100-yard butterfly (56.09) and the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 51.69.
“I think that she is going to be a very versatile swimmer and will bring a lot of positivity to the team,” said Nemecek.
Alexis Mayhall moves to the south from Las Vegas where she is a senior at Palo Verde high school. Mayhall swims for the Desert Storm club team under coach Bill Corrol and has excelled in the backstroke, swimming the 100-yard in 57.45 and the 200-yard in 2:03.79. At the Nevada high school finals, Mayhall swam the individual medley in a time of 2:10.09. Mayhall is also outstanding student, posting a 3.85 GPA.
“She’s an athlete who was just very committed to Vanderbilt from the start,” Nemecek said. “She decided it was one of her top choices and she’s very excited to come in and swim. She fits in really well with the team and I can’t wait to see what she can do for us.”
The group of girls is the second largest class Vanderbilt has had since the program resurrected in 2006.
“This is our most well rounded recruiting class so far,” said Krysten Nemecek. “We brought in a group of girls who will do well and represent Vanderbilt very well.
