COLUMBUS, Ohio - Second-year Ohio State women's swimming coach Bill Dorenkott announced an eight-member Class of 2014 today, a group of National Letter of Intent signees that includes four top swimmers from Ohio, standouts from the state of Oregon and North Carolina, and two impressive international swimmers.

The class is one Dorenkott believes is the perfect fit for the program that he and assistant coach Stefanie Williams are building in their second year in Columbus.

"Improving in our sport at the college level is not a given," Dorenkott said. "Improvement is not only a talent-driven proposition. Improvement at our level takes a special type of person who is a good fit for the respective institution, the program and the coaching staff, and vice-versa. We are excited about this group and very much looking forward to being a part of their collegiate experience."

The new Buckeyes include Ohio high school swimmers Beth Defauw (Strongsville), Kristyn Fulcher (Upper Arlington), Libby Hunsche (Cincinnati) and Alex Norris (Cincinnati); Kelly Ann Baird from Lexington, N.C.; Phoebe Cater from Sydney Australia; Sarah Cruzan from Beaverton, Ore.; and Michelle Williams from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

It is a talented class of swimmers academically.

"This is a very strong class academically with over half of the class coming to Ohio State on some type of academic scholarship," Dorenkott said. "This is important for a number of reasons; it makes the financial burden of college more affordable for the student-athletes and their families and it speaks to the type of student we want as part of our program as it allows us to have high expectations in both the classroom and the pool without compromise. The academic scholarship opportunities available at Ohio State enable our program to maximize our athletic resources to build the strongest team possible."

And recruiting the top talent in Ohio is a priority for Dorenkott and Williams.

"Stefanie and I have worked extremely hard to recruit the top student-athletes from the state of Ohio," Dorenkott said. "We are grateful to the in-state club and high school coaches who have embraced our vision and supported their student-athlete's decision to further their career as a Buckeye. We welcome Beth, Libby, Kristyn and Alex as the beginning of our efforts to keep Ohio's best at home. Our goal is to build a championship caliber program the Ohio swimming community will be proud to call their own."

The two international recruits will become part of an Ohio State swimming program that currently includes three international swimmers on the women's team and seven on the men's team.

"Our incoming international swimmers, as well as other members of the Class of 2014 who have represented their country on the international level, represent what we desire to be as a team: a program that is nationally and internationally recognized and respected in the pool," Dorenkott explained. "Now, the work really starts as we want to afford these young ladies every opportunity to achieve at the highest possible levels of the sport."

Biographical information on each of the student-athletes, listed alphabetically, follows.

The Ohio State Swimming Class of 2014

Kelly Ann Baird

• Lexington, N.C.
• West Davidson High; Coach Carl Spake
• Club Team: Northwest N.C. YMCA RipTyde; Coach Mike Brady

Kelly Ann is a distance free style swimmer with short course yards bests of 16:30.19 in the 1,650 free and 9:49.37 in the 1,000 free, and a long course meters best of 4:19.57 in the 400 free. She is the daughter of Suzanne and Boyd Baird and she has a younger sister (Grace) and brother (Braxton).

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "We felt strongly about Kelly Ann from the get-go. She is a personable young lady from a terrific family who has a strong sense of self. Swimming-wise, I watched Kelly Ann push a 4:52 in the 500 free at the end of a 3,500 yard set when I did a home visit. Her stroke reminds me of Margy Keefe, a USA Open Water National Teamer."

Phoebe Cater

• Sydney, Australia
• Wenona High School
• Club Team: Warringah Aquatic Swim Club; Coach Graeme Carroll

Phoebe is a sprint freestyler and a butterfly specialist. She has long course meters times of 26.31 in the 50 free and 56.79 in the 100 free as well as a 1:01.91 best in the 100 butterfly. She is the daughter of Rupert and Catriona and her siblings include Sam and Skye.

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "Phoebe comes to Ohio State with very strong recommendations from a number of coaches. She has competed internationally for Australia and has been ranked among the top 25 in the country in the 50 free. Phoebe's best swims have been done pre-tech suit which speaks to her ability. Her academic responsibilities have limited her training and racing opportunities over the past year so we are very excited to watch her continued improvements."

Sarah Cruzan

• Hometown: Beaverton, Oregon
• Southridge High School; Coach Rod Harman
• Club Team: Tualatin Hills Swim Club; Coach Linck Bergen

Sarah specializes in the backstroke and has posted a short course yards best of 1:59.37 in the 200 back and a long course meters best of 1:05.42 in the 100 back. She is the daughter of Carol and Mitch Cruzan and has one sister, Beth.

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "I was recently looking through my notes from the USA Junior National Meet and noticed after we had signed Sarah that I had scribbled down on my heat sheet 'pretty stroke with a great back half.' Sarah has been well-coached and has a sincere desire to improve. Our nursing program at Ohio State is a great fit for Sarah's career goals."

Beth Defauw

• Strongsville, Ohio
• Strongsville High School; Coach Tom Stacy
• Club Team: SwimStrongsville; Coach Tom Stacy

Beth is a middle distance freestyle specialist who has swam short course yards bests of 1:51.49 and 4:59.19 in the 200 and 500 freestyle events, respectively. She is the daughter of Sue and Mark Defauw. She has one brother, Brad, who is an OSU student studying education.

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "The number one aspect that stood out in Beth's racing is her toughness. She is not afraid to hurt early and often in racing. I am not sure that you can coach that quality but I know that we like it. We have seen Beth race a few times. I think the first time was at the Viking Invitational last December where we actually came across current Ohio State freshman Kelsey Moran."

Kristyn Fulcher

• Upper Arlington, Ohio
• Upper Arlington High School; Coach Dan Peterkoski
• Club Team: UASC (Upper Arlington Swim Club); Coach Dan Peterkoski

Kristyn swims the backstroke and the individual medley events. She has short course yards bests of 2:00.24 in the 200 backstroke and 2:03.30 in the 200 individual medley, and a long course meters best of 4:59.5 in the 400 individual medley. She is the daughter of Pat and Bill Fulcher.

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "We have been interested in Kristyn for the past two years, ever since Stefanie Williams and I started coaching at Ohio State. Kristyn comes from an Ohio high school swimming powerhouse, Upper Arlington, and has been well coached by Dan Peterkoski and his staff. Kristin's father is an Ohio State alum and her uncle, Tim, swam for the Buckeye men's swimming team."

Libby Hunsche

• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Turpin High School; Coach Rene Contino
• Club Team: Cincinnati Aquatic Club; Coach Benson Spurling

Libby is a backstroke specialist with short course yards bests of 2:02.48 in the 200 backstroke and 57.32 in the 100 backstroke. She is the daughter of Janine and Steve Hunsche.

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "Libby comes to us highly recommended by her club coach, Benson Spurling of the Cincinnati Aquatic Club. Stefanie Williams and Libby built a strong relationship during the recruiting process and we are very fortunate that she chose Ohio State. Libby's rate of improvement is steep and we anticipate that she will contribute individually at the Big Ten championships level early in her career."

Alex Norris

• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Sycamore High School; Coach Dan Carl
• Club Team: Cincinnati Marlins; Chris Wolford

Alex is versatile and swims the individual medley events along with the butterfly and freestyle. She has short course yards bests of 2:02.82 in the 200 individual medley and 55.29 in the 100 butterfly. She also has long course meters bests of 58.15 in the 100 freestyle and 2:05.62 in the 200 freestyle. Alex is the daughter of Sharon and Michael Norris. She has a younger brother, Thomas, and sister, Cara.  

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "We are very high on Alex on all levels - academically, athletically and as an impressive young person. Her club coach, Chris Wolford of the Cincinnati Marlins, had high praise for Alex and her ability to contribute to a collegiate program in multiple events. Alex will be a part of our Honors Program at Ohio State."

Michelle Williams

• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Vaughan Road Academy
• Club Team:North York Aquatic Club; Coach Murray Drudge

Michelle is a sprint freestyler and a butterfly swimmer with long course meters bests of 26.20 in the 50 freestyle, 55.80 in the 100 freestyle and 1:02.20 in the 100 butterfly. She is the daughter of Emsie and William Williams and has an older sister (Lydia) and brother (William).

Coach Bill Dorenkott: "Michelle, who had developed a friendship with current Buckeye Sam Cheverton on the Canadian National Team this summer, brings heady credentials and international experience to the program. She is a terrific example of recruiting persistence. She had a free weekend in November and we were happy to host her on an official visit. Everything really clicked with her and her parents and she chose to become a Buckeye."

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