LARAMIE, Wyo. – The University of Wyoming Swimming and Diving program is proud to announce the signing of 24 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2018-19 season. The class is comprised of 16 Cowgirls and eight Cowboys.

"When we took over the program last year and set up a plan for recruiting, we were focused on three main areas: Fast swimming, strong academics, and strong character," UW head coach Dave Denniston said. "Looking at this class, I don't think we could have done a much better job and that is thanks to Kristen, Kyle, Jim and Nick doing a brilliant job spearheading our effort on recruiting. One thing I am absolutely thrilled about is the number of Wyoming swimmers we have joining the program next year!"

Find information about each new Cowgirl and Cowboy below.

Kylie Campbell | Laramie, Wyoming | Laramie High School
Kylie is the daughter of Michele Schick and John Campbell. Kylie comes from Laramie, Wyo., and goes to Laramie High School. She dives with Wyoming Diving Club and placed 3rd in state in the 2017-18 season. Campbell also has a gymnastics background. 

Head diving coach Kyle Bogner: "Of course I always love to bring in local talent from Wyoming, but it is even better when it is from our home town. Our program has had many successful divers from Laramie and I expect Kylie to follow in their footsteps. She really has all of the tools needed to become a competitive diver at the collegiate level. I am thrilled to be able to work with her."

Sani Carsrud | Gillette, Wyoming | Thunder Basin High School
Sani is the daughter of Andrew and Jennifer Carsrud. She swims for the Gillette Swim Team and also for the new Thunder Basin High School in Gillette. Sani set two Wyoming high school records in the 200 and 500 Free at the Wyoming High School State Championships this year and swam at the USA Swimming Winter Junior National Championships.

Denniston: "Sani has been on our radar for a couple of years and we are thrilled that she chose to swim and study at Wyoming. She is very versatile in the freestyle events and I anticipate her swimming on a lot of relays as well as scoring individually."

Allana Clarke | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Rampart High School
Allana is the daughter of Thomas Clarke and Donna Ferris. She swims for Colorado Springs Swim Team and has qualified for the finals of the Colorado High School State Championships at both the 4A and 5A level over the last two seasons.

Coach Jim Bossert: "I've known Allana and her sister, Catri, for many years. I knew they would be perfect for Wyoming with their work ethic both in the classroom and the pool. Allana has been rapidly improving and will only continue that trend up here at 7220 feet."

Catriona Clarke | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Rampart High School
Catriona is the daughter of Thomas Clarke and Donna Ferris. She competes for Colorado Springs Swim Team and Rampart High School. She has placed in the top 16 at the Colorado High School State Championships each of her three seasons so far. Catri also played soccer until sophomore year of high school before focusing full-time on swimming.

Bossert: "Catriona will be a huge asset to our program. She has been committed to swimming now for the last two years after playing soccer as well from 7^th grade through her sophomore year of high school and has only seen improvement. We are very excited to see how high she will fly."

Maggie Clerkin | Laramie, Wyoming | Laramie High School
Maggie is the daughter of Bryan Clerkin and Mindy Meuli. A Laramie native, Maggie swims for the Laramie Swim Club and Laramie High School. She has been a State qualifier all four years of high school and helped set two state records in the 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay at the High School State Championships this past year.

Bossert: "We love to have the local talent stay in town and Maggie continues the great tradition. She comes from a great program here in Laramie and her work-ethic will rub off on her teammates both in and out of the water."

Kira Crane | Bremerton, Washington | Klahoywa Secondary School
Kira is the daughter of Kevin and Kim Crane and the sister of current Junior, Kelsey Crane. Kira is the Washington 2A State Champion in the 100 Fly and 100 Back for 2017. She qualified for the state meet all four years of high school spread out across eight individual events. Recently she qualified for USA Swimming Futures meet in the 100 Fly, 100 Back and 50 Free. She currently swims for Poulsbo Piranha Swim Team and Klahoywa Secondary School.
 
Denniston: "Kira has been to swim camp here and I'm really impressed with the precision of her strokes. She consistently drops time in everything she swims. We have a strong tradition of siblings being on the same team and I'm happy that will continue with Kira and Kelsey."

Erin Eccleston | Loveland, Colorado | Windsor High School
Erin is the daughter of Andy and Katie Eccleston. She swims for Loveland Swim Club. While competing for Windsor High School, Erin has qualified for the finals at the Colorado High School State Championship meet every season and has set a total of five school records so far. She is also the 2-time defending 400 Individual Medley Champion at the Southern Senior Championships Invitational.

Bossert: "Erin is the exact type of swimmer we love to have at Wyoming. She swims some of the toughest events and loves the challenge of those events. The sky is the limit for her."

Molly Green | Sheridan, Wyoming | Sheridan High School
Molly is the daughter of John and Courtney Green. She swims for the Sheridan Swim Team as well as Sheridan High School where she is a three time state champion. Molly was honored as the 2016-2017 Wyoming Female Athlete of the Year.

Denniston: "Molly has strong swimming lines connected to Wyoming. Her dad, John, was someone I looked up to as an athlete and when I met Molly, I knew she would be the type of athlete I wanted on our team. She continues to drop time and swim fast. We are thrilled to add another Wyoming girl to the roster."

McKenna Houlihan | Henderson, Nevada | Green Valley High School
Mckenna is the daughter of Mike and Maquel Houlihan.
McKenna comes from and up-and-coming diving club in Las Vegas, she has qualified for the USA Diving Zone as well as the state meet each of the past 3 years. She is a captain of her High School Team eat Green Valley High School. 

Bogner: "McKenna comes from an up-and-coming diving club in Las Vegas. She has qualified for the USA Diving Zone as well as the state meet each of the past threeyears. She is a captain of her high chool team at Green Valley High School. 

Lainee Jones | Pueblo, Colorado | Pueblo South High School
Lainee is the daughter of Scott and Marina Jones. She swims for Colorado Springs Swim Team and Pueblo South High School. Lainee is the defending 4A Colorado High School State Swim Championships in the 200 Free and the runner-up in the 100 Free. She was inducted into the Pueblo South High School Athletic Hall of Fame with still one season left to swim. Lainee was also a high school All-American selection in the 200 free in 2017.

Denniston: "Lainee swims fast every time she hits the water! She has a shining personality that made everyone want her to be part of our team. She is a tremendous addition to our program and culture."

Jessica Miller | King George, Virginia | King George High School
Jessica is the daughter of Greg and Laura Miller. Jessica is coming back west after living in Denver Colorado most of her life. She swims for Stafford Aquatics Team and King George High School. For the last three years, she has been in the top 5 at the Virginia High School State Swim Meet in the 100 Breaststroke.

Denniston: "Jessica has ties to Wyoming as it is where her mom grew up and she has family here. We are looking forward to Jessica helping us in the breaststroke events next year."

Andrea Niemann | Fort Collins, Colorado | Fossil Ridge High School
Andrea is the daughter of Ted and Tammie Niemann. She swims for the Fort Collins Area Swim Team and Fossil Ridge High School. Andrea helped Fossil Ridge win the Colorado State High School Swimming Championships in 2017 and has made final swims at Speedo Sectional Championships the last two years.

Denniston: "Andi is an extremely versatile swimmer who can swim any event for us. She does very well in school, and ultimately embodies what a student-athlete is at Wyoming."

Avery Otto-Horn | Green River, Wyoming | Green River High School
Avery is the daughter of Crystal Horn. She swims for Green River High School. Avery has represented Wyoming at the Western Zone Championships and has been a top 10 finisher. She has also been a Wyoming High School State Champion in the 100 Fly.

Denniston: "Avery is another Wyoming girl who is flat-out racer! She has dropped a lot of time in sprint events and butterfly. We think she is a fantastic addition to the team."

Rachel Pietsch | Cheyenne, Wyoming | Cheyenne Central High School
Rachel is the daughter of Jon and Lara Pietsch. She swims for Cheyenne Swim Club as well as Cheyenne Central High School. She has been a state finalist for all four years of high school, a three time-qualifier for the Senior Zone Championships and school record holder.

Denniston: "Rachel is a Wyoming girl from Cheyenne with great grades and a hungry attitude! I'm excited to see what she will do with her strong work ethic as a Cowgirl."

Abbey Selin | Denver, Colorado | D'Evelyn High School
Abbey is the daughter of Scott and Sandra Selin. She competes for Foothills Swim Team and D'Evelyn High School. At the Colorado 3A State Championships in 2017, Abbey won the 500 Free as well as finishing second in the 200 Free. She is a multiple time finalist at the Speedo Western Zone Sectional meet in both Short Course Yards and Long Course Meters.

Denniston: "Abbey is one of those unique people who can swim just about anything. She will help us in freestyle events, backstroke, Individual Medleys and relays. We are excited she is a cowgirl."

Emily Sizemore | King George, Virginia | King George High School
Emily is the daughter of Mark and Sandy Sizemore. She competes for Rappahannock Area YMCA Stingrays and King George High School. A three-time qualifier for the Virginia High School State Meet, she is also an Eastern Zones qualifier.

Denniston: "Emily has an athletic build that is great for swimming, but her academics are where she shines. We are excited to have another swimmer from the east coast that we believe will help our team in the freestyle and backstroke events."

James Bouda | Kalispell, MT | Flathead High School
Jamie is the son of Bret and Karen Bouda. He swims for Kalispell Aquatic Team and has qualified and made the finals at both Speedo Sectionals and USA Swimming Futures Championships over the past year.

Denniston: "Jamie is a fun person to be around that has an extremely competitive spirit. I really enjoyed getting to know Jamie and his family through the recruiting process and I know he will do great things for us in any event he swims."

Miller Browne | Gilbert, Arizona | Williams Field High School
Miller is the son of David and Jenny Browne. He swims for Mesa Aquatics Club and competes for Williams Field High School. He won the 100 Back at the Arizona High School State Championships and qualified for the USA Swimming Junior National Championships.

Bossert: "Miller is a well-rounded student athlete already, being first in his class at school and winning a state championship in the 100 back. He will excel here at Wyoming and push those around him, both in the classroom and the pool. His mindset to be great at everything he does will be contagious."

Brendan Byrnes | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Discovery Canyon Campus
Brendan is the son of Jane Byrnes. Brendan is a multi-sport athlete from Colorado Springs, Colorado. At Discovery Canyon Campus. In 2017 he placed 4th at the state wrestling meet. He also played for the Discovery Canyon soccer team. As a diver, Byrnes placed 6th in the 2016-17 season at the Colorado 4-a state meet.

Bogner: "I am thrilled to have Brendan on the team. He is exactly the type of person we look to develop here at Wyoming. He is athletic, determined, and hard working. I knew from our first conversation that he was a Wyoming Cowboy at heart"

Connor Demitz | Kensington, Maryland | Walter Johnson High School
Connor is the son of Chris and Christa Demitz. He competes for the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club. As a freshman, he helped Walter Johnson High School win the high school state championship while placing 5^th in the 500 Freestyle. In his spare time, Connor volunteers in helping teach kids with special needs how to swim.

Bossert: "Connor is a very special young man that will fit right in at Wyoming. He will excel in both the classroom and the pool. His versatility and willingness to do any event will play a big role for our team moving forward."

Anthony Gemma | York, Pennsylvania | Fork Union Military Academy
Anthony swims for the Fork Union Aquatic Club and has qualified for the VISAA State Swim Meet the last couple of years while at Fork Union Military Academy.

Denniston: "Anthony is a well-mannered professional young man who has a lot of maturity beyond his years. He is going to help us out in the sprint events, but I also see him being a leader of the program in the future."

Grisha Marinez | Mexico City, Mexico
Grisha is the son of Eurídice Elizabeth Martínez Cabral. He has placed in the top 12 at the 2014 Junior World Championships in both the 1m and 3m springboards as well as placing fourth at the Mexico Junior Nationals in 2017 in the 1m springboard and 6^th in the 1m springboard at the 2013 Junior Pan Am Championships.

Bogner: "I am very excited to have Grisha on our squad. He has been very successful in international youth competitions and really rounds out our competitiveness across all three boards. Grisha is a very hard worker and will continue to grow in his athletic abilities throughout his career as a Cowboy."

Ryan Netzel | Plainfield, Illinois | Plainfield North High School
Ryan is the son of Bill and Kim Netzel. He competes for Plainfield North High School and Delta Aquatics. Over the past three years, Ryan has qualified for USA Swimming Winter National Championships, Winter and Summer Junior National Championships. He has also been elected captain of his high school swim team as both a Junior and a Senior after leading the team at the Illinois High School State Championships.

Denniston: "Ryan is an extremely versatile freestyler who is graduating with phenomenal grades and has the character and poise to be a leader for our program."

Grant Sloan | Kearney, Missouri | Kearney High School
Grant is the son of Brian and Diane Sloan. He competes for Club North Swimming and for Kearney High School. As a captain this past season, Grant is a three time state champion, winning the 50 Free, 100 Breaststroke and as part of the 200 Free Relay.

Denniston: "One of our goals is to build up our sprint program. Grant is clearly going to be a big part of that. He has size and a lot of raw talent that will be fun to develop."