A fourth member of the Newburgh Sea Creatures’ impressive women’s class of 2015 has made her verbal commitment. Olivia Treski has verbally committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, meaning she’ll be making the relatively long 200 mile journey to Lexington next fall to begin college.
Though that’s only about a three-hour drive, it’s still the longest commute of the four commits so far. Christie Jensen and Lilly King both committed to Indiana, about two hours away, while Clara Baggett is headed to Louisville, about an hour-and-forty-five minutes away. Given the frequency with which those three teams race each other, these four women should have no trouble keeping in touch after high school.
Off the roads and into the pool, Treski is a versatile freestyler who later in high school has shifted her focus to the races 500 yards and shorter. That includes a 24.28 in the 50 free, 52.12 in the 100 free, 1:49.81 in the 200 free, and 4:56.05 in the 500 free.
She’s an even better swimmer in long course, with Winter Juniors cuts in both the 200 (2:05.15) and 400 (4:23.78) freestyles.
As a junior at Castle High School last year, Treski was 5th at the Indiana State Championships in the 200 free and won the B-Final in the 500 free in 4:56.06. She’s consistently dropped time throughout her high school career, including a second-and-a-half in the 200 yard free, and two-and-a-half seconds in the 500 yard free as a junior.
If her progression continues at anywhere near the pace that it’s on, Treski could be on Kentucky’s 800 free relay as a freshman. That’s a relay that was a respectable 7th at SEC’s last season, but that will graduate at least two members (Abby Myers and Kristen Wilson) before Treski arrives.
Kentucky head coach Lars Jorgensen is on a recruiting roll, with four additions to his lineup this week, but he needs to be. Kentucky has a very experienced and very important senior class graduating after the 2014-2015 season, and Jorgensen will have to replace most of his SEC point scorers in both relay and individual events.