Dec. 1, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head swimming and diving coach Mike Shrader has announced the signing of seven athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2012-13 season. That group include five swimmers and a pair of divers who are concluding successful prep careers.
Natilee Ruiz, rated the No. 3 swimmer in the state of Washington, recently concluded her career having won state titles in six different individual events while setting five state meet records during her three seasons while competing for Othello HS. As a senior she captured the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle state titles to earn 2A Swimmer of the Meet honors.
Ruiz has been named the Tri-City Herald All-Area Swimmer of the Year on three occasions and has qualified for next June's Olympic Trials in both the 200 IM and 200 backstroke. Ruiz, who did not compete for Othello as a sophomore after opting to play volleyball that year, is a member of the Tri-City Channel Cats swim club where she is coached by Todd Stafek. Her top times include 23.16 in the 50 free, 50.41 in the 100 free, 1:59.85 in the 200 back and 2:03.92 in the 200 IM.
The Aztec also signed a pair of swimmers from Westlake High School (Westlake Village, Calif.). That duo includes Haley Preston and Savannah Miller, who are ranked 20th and 23rd respectively in the state by collegeswimming.com and were members of the L.A. Daily News all-area team. They also swim for CLASS Aquatics in Camarillo where they are coached by Steve Reardon.
Preston holds the Westlake HS record in the 100 back (55.24) and is also part of the school-record 400 free relay team. She place sixth at the 2011 CIF Division I championships with a time of 1:50.50. Preston was named Westlake's co-MVP as a junior last season along with Miller. Her other top times include 53.58 in the 100 freestyle and 2:01.20 in the 200 backstroke.
Miller earned NISCA High School All-America accolades in both the 50 and 100 freestyle last season. Her personal best marks of 23.59 in the 50 free and 50.82 in the 100 free earned her third-place finishes in both events at the 2011 CIF meet in Long Beach. Both of those times established school record and she was also amber of the 400 free relay quartet that set a new Westlake HS mark.
Freestyle specialist Taylor Johnson will join the Aztecs from Fountain Valley High School in Huntington Beach, Calif. As a junior, she captured fifth in the 50 free (23.84) at the 2011 CIF Championship and was 11th in the 100 free (52.58). Both of those marks were just off her personal bests of 23.71 and 52.42 respectively. She was also on the 200 free relay team that finished third at the CIF meet. Johnson also competes for Golden West Swim Club where she is coached by former National Team and Olympic head coach Mark Schubert.
The fifth swimmer to sign with the Aztecs is Shannon Herman, a breaststroke and IM specialist from Orinda (Calif.) High School. At last season's North Coast Sectionals she was eighth in the 200 IM and 13th in the 100 breast. Her top times include 1:05.79 in the 100 breast, 2:19.28 in the 200 breast, 2:07.32 in the 200 IM and 4:26.75 in the 400 IM. Herman is also a member of Orinda Aquatics where she is coached by Donnie and Ronnie Heidary.
On the diving side, SDSU signed a pair of athlete with backgrounds in competitive gymnastics who began diving in high school.
Chandler Marshall (Monument, Colo.) attends Lewis Palmer High School where she also competes for the school's track and field team as a pole vaulter. A former Level10/Pre-Elite gymnast, she was fifth in the one-meter board at the 2010 4A state championships with a score of 347.15. She improved that placing to third at the 2011 5A championships with a mark of 404.65. Marshall is a member of the Mile High Dive Club where she is coached by Jack Perkins.
Brooke Osborne is a former Level 9 gymnast from Concord, Calif., where she attends Carondelet High School. In 2010 she placed ninth at the CIF North Coast Sectional Championships with a score of 303.20. She moved up to a third-place result at the 2011 Championships with a mark of 386.95. Osborne also compete for the All Valley divers and coach Monte Young.
2012-13 SWIMMING & DIVING RECRUITSName Events Hometown (Current School)Shannon Herman.....Breast, IM.....Orinda, Calif. (Orinda HS)Taylor Johnson.....Free...........Huntington Beach, Calif. (Fountain Valley HS)Chandler Marshall..Diving.........Monument, Colo. (Lewis Palmer HS)Savannah Miller....Free...........Westlake Village, Calif. (Westlake HS)Brooke Osborne.....Diving.........Concord, Calif. (Carondelet HS)Haley Preston......Free, Back.....Westlake Village, Calif. (Westlake HS)Natilee Ruiz.......Free, Back,IM..Othello, Wash. (Othello HS)