In Mike Bottom’s first freshman class of women at Michigan, he inherited a very good crop of recruits. He then proceeded to bring in a very good crop of his own, even on a truncated recruiting season.
Now, as things have settled in and his men’s program is coming off of an NCAA Championship, his women’s team might be turning the corner and returning to status as one of the elite squads in the country, after Gillian Ryan of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club committed to Michigan on Tuesday.
Ryan is the biggest recruit for Michigan since at least Margaret Kelly came to Ann Arbor in 2007.
Ryan, like many North Baltimore products, does most of her swimming in long course, but in yards she’s still a superstar already. She’s been 1:45.20 in the 200 yard free, 4:36.99 in the 500 yard free, and 15:49.74 in the 1650 free, meaning she’s already easily a three-event NCAA scorer individually as a freshman.
Even without a big taper, she’s already been 49.89 in the 100 yard free, which could put her on Michigan’s 400 free relay as a freshman as well, depending on how the rest of the team’s development goes.
In long course, after a year where she’s been working on her speed (specifically for putting in better openings on her distance races), she went 8:25.57 in the long course 800 free. The speed didn’t really show up in her other long course races between her junior and senior years of high school, but she was 56.1, 1:59.2, and 4:07.2 in the 100, 200, and 400 long course freestyles the summer before in 2012.
Ryan very nearly made the 2012 Olympic team after placing 3rd in the 800 free, and in 2011 was the 2011 National Champion in the 800 free (albeit at a National Championship meet the week after the World Championships, meaning the Worlds qualifiers were largely absent).
Michigan, a month ago, seemed like a heavy favorite for Ryan’s services, thanks to having former NBAC coach Keenan Robinson on their staff: he had been Ryan’s coach at NBAC. Even though Robinson returned to NBAC in late August, Michigan, led by the hottest assistant coach on the face of the planet Josh White and his distance group, still was a very attractive option.
When Ryan won her National Championship in 2011, she swam for the Parkland Aquatic Club. Her coach there, Erik Posegay, was hired by NBAC, and Ryan joined him in Baltimore.
It seems as though most of the top girls in the class have committed; when will we see the dominoes fall for the guys? Any word on bentz or gornay or Kim?
Congrats to Gillian! Can’t wait to see yet another Michigan distance swimmer tear it up collegiatly and internationally!
Aside from Ms. Ryan and the Stanford verbals, most of the top recruits in the 2014 class have yet to commit (check out collegeswimming.com for their list of the top recruits). Why would someone commit already when there have only been a couple of weekends of official visits?
great choice! GO BLUE!!
I think its a good decision, Michigan is good for distance swimmers.
Do the men and women train together?
I heard they do not train together and cannot until the women win a Big 10 championship. And Keenan is an athletic trainer and not a coach. He has a different overall role at NBAC but i’m assuming is still in charge of dryland and other athletic training duties.
what do you mean “cannot” until women win Big 10? Is that a joke…or is that actually true?
I watch this girl since 2010 and I hope she will finally reach her full potential.
I’m sure she has the talent to swim one day 1.56, 4.02 and 8.16 in long course.
Only if she starts her races before the last 50! 🙂
She always has a monster finish but I want to see her attacking the races.
She must badly improve her speed base. She has 3 years to do it before Rio.