|
|
|
Wyoming Swimming and Diving Announces the Signing of Five Student-Athletes
Bell, Logan, Simo, Stone and Urich to join Cowboy squad.
May 17, 2005 LARAMIE, Wyo. - University of Wyoming swimming and diving coach Tom Johnson announced today the signing of five student athletes to national letters of intent. Four Cowboy swimmers and one Cowboy diver will join the program next fall. Eli Bell of Greeley, Colo., Nick Logan of Missoula , Mont., Andrew Simo of Placentia, Calif., Nick Stone of Casper, Wyo. and Matt Urich of Westminister , Colo., all signed national letters of intent with the Cowboys this spring. "With the addition of these five young men to our incoming class, we are very excited about the future," said UW swimming and diving coach Tom Johnson. "We are going to be a young team next year but with the ability and potential of this recruiting class, we will be a very talented team. We are looking forward to working with these five young men in the future." Eli Bell, Greeley, Colo. (Greeley West High School) Bell, the younger brother of current Cowboy Levi Bell, competes in the middle distance freestyle and backstroke events. Last weekend, he won the 200 freestyle and placed second in the 100 freestyle at the 2005 Colorado State High School Championships. As a junior, he placed third in the 100 freestyle and second in the 200 freestyle at the state championships. He was selected as an All-American in the 200 freestyle in 2004. He has been an All-Conference selection every year of his high school career. He had a breakout performance at this spring's USA Swimming Sectional Meet in Seattle, Wash. He currently trains and competes with the Loveland Swim Club and coach Jim Nickell.
"Eli has had a tremendous amount of improvement over the past year," said Johnson. "He has a lot of room for continued improvement as he continues to grow and mature as an athlete. He will bring additional depth to our middle distance freestyle as well as to our backstroke." Bell was also recruited by Arizona State University. Nick Logan, Missoula, Mont. (Hellgate High School) Logan will look to compete in the backstroke and middle distance freestyle events next year as a Cowboy. This season, he won the 100 freestyle and placed second in the 200 freestyle at the 2005 Montana State Championships. As a junior, he was the state champion in the 100 and 200 freestyles and as a member of the 200 freestyle relay. Logan excels in the classroom, as he is a four-time Academic All-State selection. "Nick will also add depth to our middle distance freestyle and backstroke events," said Johnson. "He is a very bright young man who is a very hard worker and continues to improve each year." Logan was also recruited by the University of Washington, Seattle University and the University of North Dakota. Andrew Simo, Placentia, Calif. (Mater Dei High School) Simo is a backstroker and a middle distance freestyler. He is a junior national qualifier and swims for Irvine Novaquatics and for Mater Dei High school in Irvine, Calif. He will be swimming in the upcoming CIF Championships, which is one of the fastest "state" meets in the country. "Andrew came highly recommended by his coach David Salo, who was on the 2004 Olympic Team coaching staff," said Johnson. "Andrew has room for much growth and improvement and we look forward to his contributions to our team." Simo was also recruited by UNLV. Nick Stone, Casper, Wyo. (Kelly Walsh High School) Stone is the 2005 Wyoming State Champion on the 1-meter springboard. He holds the varsity record at Kelly Walsh High School in the 1-meter event as well as many pool records around the state. As a junior, he placed second at the state championships on the 1-meter springboard. "Nick has the potential to do big things on the conference and national levels," said UW diving coach Ben Herdt. "He will look to come in and make an immediate impact this fall for the Cowboys." Matt Urich, Westminster, Colo. (Pomona High School) Urich is a butterflier and an individual medley swimmer who also shows promise in the distance freestyle events. Urich swims with the North Jeffco Swim Club in Denver, Colo. and at Pomona High School. This season, he placed fifth in the 200 freestyle and 10th in the 500 freestyle at the 2005 Colorado State Championships. As a junior, he placed ninth in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 100 butterfly at the state championships. Last spring, he competed in the Junior National meet. "Matt has only been swimming year round for a short time and has improved consistently over the past two years," said Johnson. "He will be a great contributor to our team in many areas as he is a very versatile swimmer." Urich was also recruited by the University of Buffalo and Denver
University.
|
|
