The USC Trojans continue to roll through a strong recruiting season with some late additions to their spring signing class.
Perhaps the biggest on the women’s side is diver Haley Ishimatsu, a transfer from the top-notch Duke program, who will be joining her older sister Tory Ishimatsu in Southern California (though Tory completed her eligibility last season – going out as an NCAA Champion and the Pac-12 diver of the year).
The younger Haley has just as much, if not more, potential for the Trojans. She was on the 2008 US Olympic Team on the 10 meter platform (both individually and synchronized). She finished 5th as a tandem and 14th in the solo event.
A platform specialist, she finished 11th at NCAA’s in 2011.
In the lanes, the Trojan women also added 2008 Polish Olympic Katarzyna Wilk – who recently found out that she would be headed to London as well as a member of the Polish women’s 800 free relay. The 20-year old’s specialty is the freestyle distances 200 meters and shorter, where she has bests of 25.31, 54.95, and 2:00.53. Those times all equate to immediate All-American status, and more importantly the relay anchor that the Trojans have been missing for years.
When you add in the addition of top-ranked recruit Jasmine Tosky, Kendyl Stewart, Brianna Weinstein, Henriete Stenkvist, Nikki Chiang and the transfer of National Teamer Andrea Kropp, the Trojans look like they’re back in top-3 range, even with the loss of their NCAA Champion Katinka Hosszu. If only she had taken an Olympic redshirt…
On the men’s side, the lastest revelations are Ridge Altman out of Florida, Harry Pullar from Australia, and Zach Wagner from Seattle.
Altman can swim just about anything, and will bring some important depth to the breaststroke group (despite being the breaststroke capital of the United States, the Trojans’ collegiate squad has been relatively thin there). He’s sort of the men’s squad’s answer to Jasmine Tosky’s versatility – he can swim a 49 100 fly, a 56 100 breast, a 46.0 100 free, and a 1:49 200 IM. His only weakness is a 51.9 in the 100 back – or not.
He grew up in Hawaii, but at the end of his senior year of high school moved to Naples, Florida where he began training with Paul Yetter’s T2 Aquatics.
Pullar is an outstanding butterflier from Brisbane who was 10th in the 17-18 age group at this year’s Australian Age Championships (despite being on the younger end of the group at 17). His best time at that meet was a 55.52 in long course, which converts to a 48-low already in yards. The USC butterfly group last year had some depth, but outside of Chase Bloch’s 46.8 mid-season lacked flash. Hopefully some new blood can ignite them.
He trains with the famed group at St. Peter’s Western, where swimmers like Stephanie Rice and Leisel Jones also train. He’ll have to work hard to develop his second-and-third events, but does also have a solid 100 free (53.8 in long course).
Wagner will join another spring signee, Fred Abramyan, in the Trojan sprint crew, as the 2012 Washington State Champion in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. He has bests of 20.86 and 45.47, which should add some depth to a group that was hurting after Vlad Morozov.
The Trojan men will have a big team this year, with 31 bodies expected on deck (their roster was only 26 last season). Both of these teams not only brought in potential immediate-impact NCAA qualifiers, but they filled in major holes in their lineups.
Yes The parents are well to do
I’ve always wondered where the foreign students get the money to attend a very expensive college like USC. I imagine Ms. Wilk is on a full ride, but the men have only 9.9 scholarships to spread around.
USC is about $55,000.00 per year. Maybe Mr. Pullar’s parents are well to do.
Anyone know?