Courtesy: JMU Sports
HARRISONBURG, Va. – One diver and three swimmers round out the signing class for James Madison swimming & diving that will join the team for the 2023-24 season, Head Coach Dane Pedersen announced Thursday morning.
“We are thrilled to welcome our four newcomers to JMUSD next fall,” said Pedersen. “We are not graduating a particularly large class this year which allowed us to really hone in on our needs and streamline our recruiting this class. Each girl is going to make a huge and immediate impact on not only our team’s talent level, but also provide such a positive vibe to our team future. We cannot wait until they step foot on campus next August.”
Riley Bridgman
Height: 5’11
Hometown/High School: Colonial Heights, Va./Colonial Heights
Events: Breast/IM
Career Highlights: Four-time Winter Junior National Qualifier for 200 Breast… Three-time Winter Junior National Qualifier for 100 Breast… Two-time Summer Junior National Qualifer for 100 Breast… 2020 and 2021 VHSL Region 3 100 Breast State Champion… 2020 VHSL Girls All-State Swim Team First Place for the 100 Breast… Placed second in the 100 Breast and 200 IM in 2022 for VHSL Region 3… Member of the National Honors Society and the Quill and Scroll Honors Society… 2020 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.
Katelyn Fitzgerald
Height: 5’6
Hometown/High School: Wilmington, Del./Conrad Schools of Science
Events: Free
Career Highlights: Three-time First Team All-State… Two-time YMCA Long Course National Champion and a high school All-American in 2021-22.
Madison Lehman
Height: 5’9
Hometown/High School: Cape Coral, Fla./Cape Coral
Events: Free/Fly
Career Highlights: 2019-20 Regional Champion in the 50 Free and was runner up in the 100 Free… LCAC and District Champion in both the 50 Free and 100 Free in the 2019-20 season… Regional and District Champion in the 50 and 100 Free in 2020-21… Placed sixth in the 100 Free at the FHSAA Division 2A State Championship… Conference winner in the 50 and 100 Free, district winner in the 50 Free and 100 Fly and region winner in the 50 Free and runner up in the 100 Fly in 2021-22… Placed second in the 50 Free and fourth in the 100 Fly at FHSAA Class 2A State Championships… 2021 and 2022 Futures Championship qualifier… Member of the National Hispanic Honor Society and the International Baccalaureate Program.
Kate Vitolo
Height: 5’2
Hometown/High School: Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge
Events: 1-meter/3-meter
Career Highlights: Placed fifth in the 2019-20 season at the State Championships… Placed fourth in the 3-meter and sixth in the 1-meter at AAU Nationals in the 2020-21 season… Earned All-American honors in 2022… USA Diving National Qualifier for 1-meter, 3-meter and platform in 2021-22… Placed first at the county level before placing second at States… Member of the National Honor Society and the American Sign Language National Honor Society.