Keyser Announces 2012 Signing Class
WILMORE, Ky. – Asbury men’s and women’s swimming coach Alex Keyser has announced the signing of seven men and five women for the 2012-13 season. Both teams add five freshman and the men will also welcome in a junior and a sophomore transfer.
The men will add Jimmy Hall (Barbourville, Ky. / Cumberlands (Ky.), a junior transfer who competes in the 200 IM, 100 and 200 free and the 100 breast. As a freshmen at Cumberlands, Hall qualified for NAIA nationals. David King will also enter as a transfer, coming from Stevens Institute of Technology but sat out most of the year with a broken clavicle. Prior to Stevens, King swam at The Woodlands Christian Academy in Texas and was TAPPS 2010 State Champion in the 500 free and placed second in the 100 back.
Only two of the freshmen men come from Kentucky, Graham Duncan from Owensboro and Apollo High School and Jonathan Augsburger from Nicholasville. Augsburger was homeschooled and swam club for Wildcat Aquatics. The sprint freestyler posted a 21.2 in the 50 and a 50.4 in the 100. Duncan qualified for the state meet four times and was on the All-Region and All-District teams twice. He swam for the Owensboro Marlins on the club side and was a state runner-up in the 100 back. He also swims both the 200 and 400 IM events as well as the 100 and 200 free events.
James Young will join the Eagles from Greenfield-Central High School in Greenfield, Ind. and Matthew Polk comes from Winston-Salem, N.C. and Ledford High School. Young, who swims the 100 fly and 200 free, was a three-year qualifier for the Indiana state meet and was a sectional and conference champion for two years. He also swam for Greenfield Community Aquatic club team and was a two-year state qualifier. Polk was a class 3A North Carolina state qualifier for Ledford High.
Nolan Houlton and his twin sister Claire Houlton will join the Eagles from Tucson, Arizona after competing for Catalina Foothills High School and Ford Aquatics club team. The Ford Aquatics swim club was ranked 11th in the nation during their time there. At Catalina Foothills Nolan placed third in the state meet as the Falcons claimed three straight state titles. Claire also had success at the state meet, placing 5th in the 100 back as a freshman and second in the 400 free and 200 medley relays. They would go on to win the 400 free relay and place second in the 200 medley relay her sophomore season and then win both her junior year while she took third in the 100 free.
Also joining the women’s side are Caitlin Gagnon (Cincinnati, Ohio / Homeschool), Kayley Valentien (Waco, Texas / Midway High School), Sara Henderson (Huntsville, Ala. / Virgil I. Grissom High School) and Emily Myers (Lena, Ill. / Homeschool).
Myers swam for the Freeport YMCA Bluefins, swimming regional qualifying times in the 100 back, 50 free, 100 breast and 50 breast events. Henderson was a state meet qualifier, placing in the Top 16 in the 200 and 500 free events her sophomore through senior years. The Tigers were state champions her freshman year and runners-up her junior and senior year. Henderson was also an All-City honorable mention selection her junior and senior years.
Valentien set the region record in the 400 free in 2011 helping the Panthers to the regional title. She was a three-year state qualifier and a four-year regional finalist. Valentien also was part of the 400 free relay team that placed 6th in the 4A State Meet. Gagnon swam for the Powel Crosley Junior YMCA Tigersharks out of Cincinnati. She qualified for the finals in the Southwest Ohio YMCA AA League Championships for four straight years. The Tigersharks were the Great Lakes Zone Championship team from 2009 through 2012.
The Eagles are scheduled to dive into the pool for their first meet on October 13 at Indianapolis University.
