For a full list of college commitments, see the category page here.
Lexie Malazdrewicz has given her verbal commitment to the USC Trojans.
USC head coach Dave Salo is riding the Trojans’ prodigious Olympic wave and has already brought in an impressive women’s class this fall. The latest verbal commitment is from Lexie Malazdrewicz, who collegeswimming.com rated as the #2 recruit from the state of Colorado this year (behind only Olympic champion Missy Franklin).
She comes in with very good times in both the backstrokes and the middle-distance freestyles. In the 100 back, she’s been a 55.5, and in the 200 she’s even better with a 1:58.48. In the 200 free, she goes a 1:48.43 and in the 500 she has been as good as 4:46.91.
Malazdrewicz brings true-talent in long course: she was the runner-up at last summer’s Junior Nationals in 2:13.17. That time put her among the top 25 Americans of any age during the 2012 long course season.
In other recruiting news, Maddie Hoch from the West Shore YMCA in Pennsylvania has committed to the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.
She’s similar to Malazdrewicz in strengths, but leans a little more toward the shorter events. In the 100 free, she’s been a 50.96. The Gophers are loaded with great young sprinters, but Hoch should be competitive for a relay spot by her junior year, if not sooner. She’s also been a 1:48.62 in the 200.
“I chose Minnesota because I have never been around so many motivated student athletes,” the Pennsylvanian said of her decision. “The team unity and energy impressed me from the moment I met them. Kelly [Kremer] is such an experienced coach, and I am so excited about the things that I will learn training with him. I am so pumped to compete with a team that truly enjoys swimming and each others’ company. On my visit I could feel the family type atmosphere when I was with both the women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams, and I am proud to join the Gopher family.”
In the backstrokes, Hoch has been a 55.91 and a 2:01.45 in the 200. The Gophers can really use her depth there, especially in a Big Ten Conference where backstrokers can score big points. At last year’s NCAA Championships, the highest-placing Big Ten finisher in the 100 back was the Gophers’ Tess Behrens, who was 19th overall. Aside from her, only one of the conference’s backstrokers placed in the top 30 of that race.
Welcome to Trojan Family, Lexie! Great to have you join the Women of Troy! Fight on!
Congrats to both of these girls. I hope they’ll both like the schools that they have chosen.