The recruiting of the Virginia women’s program is really heating up, with the latest signing being collegeswimming.com’s 30th-ranked recruit, Rachel Moore.
Moore trains with Crimson Aquatics, Harvard’s club wing, in Boston, and is a part of the loaded Andover High School program that includes class of 2012 top-20 recruit Maggie D’Innocenzo, who will be targeted by Virginia (and several other programs) next fall.
The versatile swimmer is the Massachusetts State Record holder in the 100 back (breaking the mark held by Georgia Bulldog Lauren English). She finished 7th in that event at this past summer’s Junior National Championships. Her best time in yards competition is a 54.25 from yards Juniors in December.
Though her Junior Nat’s placing might be highest in the 100 back, she might end up being a butterflier in college. She has bests of 53.32/1:57.61 in the 100 and 200 fly. It’s that 200 fly that could tip the stroke balance for her, as it’s much closer to scoring points (about 6-tenths of a second) than her 200 back is.
Moore is also a very good freestyler, with times of 23.3/50.2/1:47.7. Virginia’s 800 free relay placed 6th at NCAA’s last year, and though they graduated two legs of that relay, the program is very, very deep in the 200 free. She’ll have to earn a spot on that relay as a freshman, but by her sophomore year at least she should be an important part.
She becomes the third member of a Virginia class that also includes #23 Courtn
Moore and D’Innocenzo both swim at the Andover training site, the legacy Magnus club, under head coach Mike Spring not at the Boston site under head coach Tim Murphy who is also the Harvard’s men coach and coach of 2012 Olympian Alex Meyer.