Nov. 17, 2006
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – High School All-Americans Rachel Dyer (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Leigh-Ann Axt (Kingwood, Texas) signed letters of intent to swim for the Vanderbilt varsity swim team beginning in 2007.
Dyer, out of Baylor School in Chattanooga, is a five-time All-American with honors in the 400-meter relay and 200-meter medley relay. Dyer helped lead the Raiders to two state championships (2004, 2006) and appears on Baylor’s top ten times list in six different events.
Leigh-Ann Axt is a three-time All-American in the 500-yard freestyle. Axt qualified for the US Open in three events and is a US Junior National qualifier in two events. The Texas native helped lead the Girl’s State 5A championship team in 2004 and is a two-time USA Academic All-American.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Jeremy Organ said. “They are very talented athletes and we know they will help provide a solid foundation for our new program.”
Dyer and Axt are Vanderbilt’s first scholarship athletes for varsity swimming since the original program ended in 1990. The 2006-07 season is the team’s first year reinstated in competition and is composed of talented walk-on athletes from Vanderbilt’s student body.
