Nov. 24, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois swimming and diving head coach Sue Novitsky announced the signing of seven swimmers and one diver to national letters of intent Monday. The talented group, hailing from Illinois and Kansas, includes one national runner-up, three members with national experience, one state champion and eight state qualifiers.

"So far the recruiting class for 2009 is shaping up to be a very versatile, enthusiastic and energetic group," Novitsky said. "We have added athletes that have gained valuable experience competing at championship meets and having success at those meets."

The 2009 recruiting class includes Sarah Coady (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central H.S.), Kimberly Kalenda (Cary, Ill./Cary Grove H.S.), Kathleen Knight (Normal, Ill./University H.S.), Erin Lamb (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central H.S.), Erica Lynn (Swansea, IL/ Home-schooled), Alyssa Petruzzello (Champaign, Ill./Centennial H.S.), Erin Rodriguez (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) and Lauren Wismer (Overland Park, Kan./ Blue Valley H.S.).

"Overall the class will go along way to help fill the void left by our graduating seniors and continue to build upon the foundation that the athletes before them have put in place," Novitsky said. "All of them are strong students and quality people, and each of them will be great representatives of the University of Illinois."

Sarah Coady
Hometown: Hinsdale, Ill.
High School: Hinsdale Central
USA Swimming Club: Westmont Swim Club
Main Events: Breaststroke, Backstroke and Individual Medley

Placed eighth in 200 medley relay at 2008 IHSA state championships...Received 2007 NISCA/Speedo Swimming & Diving All-America team honors in the 200 medley relay...Swam to 26th place in 100 back at the 2007 IHSA state championships....Placed 18th in the 200 IM and 100 breast at the 2006 IHSA state championships....Two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.

Top Times:
100 Breaststroke - 1:06.89
200 Breaststroke - 2:27.26
100 Backstroke - 59.99
200 Backstroke - 2:07.94
200 Individual Medley - 2:11.31
400 Individual Medley - 4:39.01

Coach Novitsky on Sarah: "We are thrilled to have Sarah join the team. She brings great versatility and will add some needed depth to our breaststroke and backstroke events. Sarah is a very dedicated athlete and student and already bleeds orange & blue. Both of her parents graduated from Illinois and her father played football here as well."

Kimberly Kalenda
Hometown: Cary, Ill.
High School: Cary Grove
USA Swimming Club: Patriot Aquatic Club
Main Events: Sprint Freestyle

Placed 19th in the 100 free at the 2008 IHSA state championships...2008 IHSA sectional champion in the 100 free...Swam to 23rd place in the 100 free at the 2007 IHSA state championships...USA Swimming sectional qualifier.

Top Times:
50 Freestyle - 24.81
100 Freestyle - 53.24

Coach Novitsky on Kimberly: "Kimberly is a terrific addition to our sprint group. She is not afraid to take out her races and wants to work to get faster. With the training group around her at Illinois, we feel that she will be able to continue to develop. Kimberly has a great personality and is a strong academic student that definitely fits that mold of what we look for in our student-athletes."

Kathleen Knight
Hometown: Normal, Ill.
High School: University
USA Swimming Club: Bloomington Normal Swim Club
Main Events: Butterfly, Backstroke, Freestyle, Individual Medley

Placed 20th in the 100 fly and 43rd in the 200 IM at the 2008 IHSA state championships...Swam to 24th place in 500 free and 33rd in the 200 IM at the 2007 IHSA state championships...USA Swimming sectional qualifier...Two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.

Top Times:
100 Butterfly - 58.22
200 Butterfly - 2:09.65
200 Individual Medley - 2:12.58

Coach Novitsky on Kathleen: "We are excited to add Kathleen to our team. Kathleen is another swimmer with a wide range of events and strokes. We expect her to continue to develop her range of events and allow us to have even more versatility with our line-ups. Kathleen brings a lot of dedication and focus to her swimming and her academics and we expect that to continue at Illinois."

Erin Lamb
Hometown: Naperville, Ill.
High School: Naperville Central
USA Swimming Club: Maverick Swim Club
Main Events: Freestyle, Backstroke

Runner-up in the 200 free and eighth in the 100 free at the 2008 IHSA state championships...Swam to ninth place in the 200 free and 14th in the 100 free at the 2007 IHSA state championships...Two-time recipient of the NISCA/Speedo All-America team honors...Helped Naperville Central win the state championship at the 2005 IHSA state championships...USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.

Top Times:
50 Freestyle - 24.62
100 Freestyle - 52.27
200 Freestyle - 1:51.35
500 Freestyle - 5:10.18
100 Backstroke -1:00.91
200 Backstroke - 2:08.72

Coach Novitsky on Erin: "Erin is an awesome addition to our freestyle and backstroke groups. She is coming off a very successful Illinois High School State Meet and has continued to move up the ranks throughout her high school career. Not only is Erin an accomplished swimmer, she is a terrific person who gives back to her community and school. She brings a ton of enthusiasm to everything that she participates in and that energy and drive will help her on her way to a great career wearing orange and blue."

Erica Lynn
Hometown: Swansea, Ill.
High School: Home-schooled
USA Swimming Club: Edwardsville YMCA Breakers
Main Events: Breaststroke, Butterfly, Individual Medley

Swam to second place in the 200 breast at the YMCA National Championships...2008 USA Swimming Junior National qualifier...Placed 10th in the 100 breast at the 2008 IHSA state championships...2008 IHSA sectional champion in the 100 breast...Placed 12th in 100 breast at 2007 IHSA state championships...2007 IHSA sectional champion in both the 100 breast and 200 IM.

Top Times:
100 Breaststroke - 1:05.92
200 Breaststroke - 2:18.50
100 Butterfly - 59.16
200 Butterfly - 2:10.93
200 Individual Medley - 2:10.60
400 Individual Medley - 4:35.60

Coach Novitsky on Erica: "Erica is a fantastic addition to our breaststroke group. Erica comes in with times that would place her in the top ten individuals all-time at Illinois in the 200 Breaststroke. She has gained valuable experience and success racing at the national level and we expect to be able to build upon that foundation here at Illinois. Not only has she made tremendous strides in her swimming career the past two years, she is a vibrant and smart young lady."

Alyssa Petruzzello
Hometown: Champaign, Ill.
High School: Centennial
USA Swimming Club: Champaign Heat
Main Events: Butterfly, Backstroke

Swam to 19th place in the 100 fly and 27th in the 100 back at the 2008 IHSA state championships...2008 IHSA sectional champion in the 100 fly...Placed 16th in 1000 fly 2007 YMCA National Championships....2007 YMCA All-American in the 100 fly...Multiple-time YMCA National Championships qualifier.

Top Times:
100 Butterfly - 57.06
200 Butterfly - 2:09.83
100 Backstroke - 59.07

Coach Novitsky on Alyssa: "We are extremely happy to have Alyssa join the team at Illinois. She finished up her high school career on a strong note, going two lifetime best times in the fly and back. Alyssa is a strong addition to our stroke groups and we expect her to continue to develop throughout her career. She has also gained experience and has had some success at the national level. It is always nice to keep the local talent in town and we hope that people will continue to watch her career at Illinois."

Erin Rodriguez
Hometown: Arlington Heights, Ill.
High School: Buffalo Grove
USA Swimming Club: Arlington Alligator Aquatics
Main Events: Butterfly, Individual Medley, Middle Distance Freestyle

Swam to third place in the 200 IM and 17th in the 100 fly at the 2008 IHSA state championships...Placed 19th in the 500 free at the 2006 IHSA state championships...NCSA Junior National qualifier.

Top Times:
100 Butterfly - 57.81
200 Butterfly - 2:09.84
200 Individual Medley - 2:05.08
400 Individual Medley - 4:26.86
500 Freestyle - 5:02.17

Coach Novitsky on Erin: "Erin is a fantastic addition to our team. She has an outstanding range of events and has continued to improve throughout her career. Erin is very feisty and competitive and does not like to lose, a great combination to see. Her time in the 200 IM would rank her in our top ten individuals all-time at Illinois. With her versatility we expect her to be able to contribute across the board during her time at Illinois."

Lauren Wismer
Hometown: Overland Park, Kan.
High School: Blue Valley
USA Swimming Club: Kansas City Dive Club
Main Events: Diving

2007 Kansas High School State Champion...Ranked in the top-three on both the one-meter and three-meter boards at the 2007 AAU Nationals...Finalist on the one-meter board at the 2007 U.S. Junior Nationals.

Top Scores:
1M - 6 dives - 285
1M - 11 dives - 479
3M - 9 dives - 363
Platform - 8 dives - 327

Coach Waters on Lauren: "I'm incredibly excited to have Lauren join our program next year! She is one of the hardest working and driven athletes I've ever known. I'm confident her commitment and enthusiasm will help her to excel at the collegiate level and leave her mark on our Illini Swimming & Diving program."