University of Richmond Athletics
Photo by: Spiders Athletics
Introducing the 2020 Spider Swim and Dive Freshmen Class
08/11/2020 | Women's Swimming & Diving
RICHMOND, Va. – Head coach Matt Barany and his staff will welcome eight new student-athletes to the Spider Swim and Dive family this season. Of those eight, seven are swimmers with the addition of one diver. This year's class comes to Richmond from all over the United States and one from Croatia. Megan Carson (Apex, N.C.), Alexa Connors (Kingston, Mass), Ainsley Everett (The Woodlands, Texas), Zazi Halla (McClean, Va.), Emma Martin (Knoxville, Tenn.), Petra Mijic (Split, Croatia), Katelyn Pennell (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Lucy Yeomans (Athens, Ga.) make up the freshmen class.
"We are very thankful for these women." Head coach Matt Barany said, "We know they sacrificed their high school senior year and now part of their college freshman year. We look forward to seeing them in the water and creating a bright future."
Carson joins the Spiders from North Carolina where she competed with the YMCA of the Triangle Area (YOTA) swim club. The middle-distance swimmer posted several high marks in her career. Her career best times include a 1:51.39 in the 200 freestyle, 5:01.12 in the 500 freestyle and a 17:25.00 time in the 1650 freestyle. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and qualified for the 2020 Canadian Olympic Trials in four events. She was also a 2019 YMCA National Finalist.
A member of Kingfish swimming in Massachusetts, Connors will begin her collegiate career this year. A distance swimmer, Connors recorded career-best times of 1:49.75 in the 200 freestyle, 4:50.97 in the 500 freestyle and a 16:46.08 in the 1650 freestyle. She is a three-time National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) All-American and an NISCA Scholar All-American. She was the Division I Massachusetts State Champion in the 200 and 500 freestyle in 2019 and 2020 and was the 2019-20 Boston Globe Athlete of the Year.
Everett hails from the Lonestar State and competes in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the butterfly events. Her career-best times include 2:03.89 in the 200 IM, 4:24.13 in the 400 IM, 55.79 in the 100 fly and the 2:02.47 fly. In 2018, her Woodlands High team won the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State Championship in 2018 and was the 6A state runner-up in 2019. She twice earned NISCA Scholastic All-American honors.
Halla is the lone diver in this year's class as well as the only Virginia native. She was a four-time Virginia 6A State qualifier and finished in the top ten three times. She was a three-time Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL) All-State Champion and was an eight-time NVSL Divisional champion as well as a string of seven-consecutive championships.
Another competitor in the individual medleys and butterfly events is Martin. The Knoxville-native has a career-best 2:05.35 in the 200 IM, 4:25.34 in the 400 IM and a 2:04.55 in the 200 butterfly. In her prep career, she earned the Spartan Award, the highest honor awarded by her high school and was a two-time Knoxville Sports Award nominee.
Mijic, makes the trip across the pod after competing with Grdelin swim club in Croatia. Mijic is another middle-distance swimmer, competing in the 200 and 400 freestyle. In short course meters conversion, her career bests in the 200 freestyle is 2:01.95 and 4:18.21 in the 400 free. With the long course meters conversion, she swam a 17:25.38 in the 1500 freestyle. Mijic qualified for the European and World Junior Open Water and was the 2020 Croatian National Open Water Champion as well as holding a Croatian National Record.
Pennell will trade the land of 10,000 lakes for the river city when she gets on campus. The Minnesota-native is a backstroke, butterfly swimmer who has earned several high-level times. Her career-bests include a 54.30 time in the 100 backstroke, 56.86 in the 100 butterfly and a 1:59.93 in the 200 backstroke. She earned several NISCA honors, twice earning All-American honors and three times earning Scholastic All-American honors. She was a six-time Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Champion and was a ten-time MSHSL AA State Runner up.
The final Spider in this year's class is another middle-distance swimmer. Yeomans competed for the Athens Bulldog Swim Club in Georgia. Career bests for Yeomans include a 52.32 in the 100 freestyle, 1:52.13 in the 200 freestyle and a 5:00.66 time in the 500 freestyle. Last season, she was the Georgia High School Association's 1-5A 500 Freestyle State Champion and the Athens Banner Herald Most Versatile Athlete before earning Clarke Central High Salutatorian.
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"We are very thankful for these women." Head coach Matt Barany said, "We know they sacrificed their high school senior year and now part of their college freshman year. We look forward to seeing them in the water and creating a bright future."
Carson joins the Spiders from North Carolina where she competed with the YMCA of the Triangle Area (YOTA) swim club. The middle-distance swimmer posted several high marks in her career. Her career best times include a 1:51.39 in the 200 freestyle, 5:01.12 in the 500 freestyle and a 17:25.00 time in the 1650 freestyle. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and qualified for the 2020 Canadian Olympic Trials in four events. She was also a 2019 YMCA National Finalist.
A member of Kingfish swimming in Massachusetts, Connors will begin her collegiate career this year. A distance swimmer, Connors recorded career-best times of 1:49.75 in the 200 freestyle, 4:50.97 in the 500 freestyle and a 16:46.08 in the 1650 freestyle. She is a three-time National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) All-American and an NISCA Scholar All-American. She was the Division I Massachusetts State Champion in the 200 and 500 freestyle in 2019 and 2020 and was the 2019-20 Boston Globe Athlete of the Year.
Everett hails from the Lonestar State and competes in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the butterfly events. Her career-best times include 2:03.89 in the 200 IM, 4:24.13 in the 400 IM, 55.79 in the 100 fly and the 2:02.47 fly. In 2018, her Woodlands High team won the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State Championship in 2018 and was the 6A state runner-up in 2019. She twice earned NISCA Scholastic All-American honors.
Halla is the lone diver in this year's class as well as the only Virginia native. She was a four-time Virginia 6A State qualifier and finished in the top ten three times. She was a three-time Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL) All-State Champion and was an eight-time NVSL Divisional champion as well as a string of seven-consecutive championships.
Another competitor in the individual medleys and butterfly events is Martin. The Knoxville-native has a career-best 2:05.35 in the 200 IM, 4:25.34 in the 400 IM and a 2:04.55 in the 200 butterfly. In her prep career, she earned the Spartan Award, the highest honor awarded by her high school and was a two-time Knoxville Sports Award nominee.
Mijic, makes the trip across the pod after competing with Grdelin swim club in Croatia. Mijic is another middle-distance swimmer, competing in the 200 and 400 freestyle. In short course meters conversion, her career bests in the 200 freestyle is 2:01.95 and 4:18.21 in the 400 free. With the long course meters conversion, she swam a 17:25.38 in the 1500 freestyle. Mijic qualified for the European and World Junior Open Water and was the 2020 Croatian National Open Water Champion as well as holding a Croatian National Record.
Pennell will trade the land of 10,000 lakes for the river city when she gets on campus. The Minnesota-native is a backstroke, butterfly swimmer who has earned several high-level times. Her career-bests include a 54.30 time in the 100 backstroke, 56.86 in the 100 butterfly and a 1:59.93 in the 200 backstroke. She earned several NISCA honors, twice earning All-American honors and three times earning Scholastic All-American honors. She was a six-time Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Champion and was a ten-time MSHSL AA State Runner up.
The final Spider in this year's class is another middle-distance swimmer. Yeomans competed for the Athens Bulldog Swim Club in Georgia. Career bests for Yeomans include a 52.32 in the 100 freestyle, 1:52.13 in the 200 freestyle and a 5:00.66 time in the 500 freestyle. Last season, she was the Georgia High School Association's 1-5A 500 Freestyle State Champion and the Athens Banner Herald Most Versatile Athlete before earning Clarke Central High Salutatorian.
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