Stockton, Calif. – In his fourth season at the helm of Pacific swimming, Head Coach Peter Richardson and his staff have announced the signing of 14 student-athletes to NLIs during the fall signing period. The incoming class of freshmen includes eight Junior Nationals qualifiers as well as one Olympic Trial and NCAA qualifier. Richardson was ecstatic about the talent coming in, saying that “this is the deepest class we have ever had and this class will do something special here at Pacific.”
The men’s class is highlighted by Olympic Trials and former NCAA qualifier Sonny Fierro. “I’m excited to have another Olympic Trials qualifier join the team,” said Richardson, as Fierro will be the sixth such qualifier to join the Tigers since 2012. The Elk Grove native qualified in the SCY 1650 Free with a time of 14:56.01 and in the SCY 500 Free with a time of 4:19.50. Fierro trains with Coach Brian Nabeta at DART, one of the premier swim clubs in Northern California.
Also joining Pacific is Riley Molina, a distance swimmer and US Open qualifier coming from the Sandpipers of Las Vegas. Molina has personal bests of 15:33.61 in the SCY 1650 Free and 3:58.13 in the SCY 400 IM. Molina’s LCM 400 IM time is 4:29.96.
Local product and winter Junior Nationals qualifier Dylan Toy will be bringing sprint and IM depth to the Tigers. Toy will join Fierro on many of Pacific’s relay teams, with Richardson saying that both “have the potential to be on the A teams right away.” Toy has put up times of 20.81 in the SCY 50 Free and 45.54 in the SCY 100 Free.
Kenton Quan and Brandon Reno round out Pacific’s men’s class, with both Junior Nationals qualifiers in the breaststroke. Quan has swam primarily in the 100 and 200 Breast, with LCM times of 1:05.82 and 2:24.48, respectively, in those events. Reno has a LCM 100 Breast time of 1:06.98 and a LCM 200 Breast time of 2:25.88 on his record.
On the women’s side, the Tigers have “nine amazing young women” coming in, ready to make an immediate impact on the program. “Throughout the recruiting process I was not only impressed with these swimmers’ times but the kind of people they are,” said Richardson. “This class is going to be special.”
Among the women signing with Pacific is Semaj Walker, a 15-year-old out of Morgan Hill that is one of the youngest recruits in the nation. Walker is a USA Futures qualifier, swimming 1:15.90 in the LCM 100 Breast and 1:06.51 in the SCY 100 Breast.
Walker will be joined by versatile freestyler Taylor Hosmer. Hosmer comes from a family of Tigers, with both of her parents having swam at Pacific. Hosmer is also a USA Futures qualifier and has a LCM 200 Free time of 2:07.11. Her SCY 500 Free time is 4:56.76.
Fellow freestylers Brigid McNally and Jillian Hatch are both Junior Nationals qualifiers in the freestyle and swim all distances in the event. McNally has a SCY 200 Free time of 1:51.81, a SCY 500 Free time of 4:53.64, and a SCY 1650 Free time of 16:50.34. Hatch’s best SCY 100 Free time is 51.77, while her best SCY 200 Free time is 1:51.10.
Adding to Pacific’s bevy of distance swim talent is Kira Thomas and Danielle Garrett, who both have had success as mile swimmers. Thomas has swam the 1500 Free in 17:18.60, while her best 500 Free time comes in at 5:00.04. Garrett has a 17:13.67 time in the SCY 1650 Free.
Two Junior Nationals qualifiers join Pacific for the breastroke, with Angela Gagliardo of the heralded King Aquatic Club and Erin Oliphant of Glenbrook, Illinois signing. Gagliardo’s personal best in the LCM 100 Breast is 1:13.49 and her LCM 200 Breast best is 2:37.45. Oliphant has put up times of 1:13.91 and 2:37.07 in those same events.
Rounding out the class is Adri Piccininni, a versatile swimmer who joins Riley Molina on the Tigers from the Sandpipers of Las Vegas. Piccininni has swam a wide variety of events, putting up times of 2:23.08 in the LCM 200 Fly, 5:06.83 in the LCM 400 IM, and 17:55.71 in the LCM 1500 Free.
“This class includes…a great mix of potential and polish,” said Richardson about the incoming freshmen. “There’s an overall positive vibe here that will define us in the future. I couldn’t be happier or more excited about working with these young swimmers.”
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Swimming news courtesy of Pacific Swimming & Diving.