SMU women’s swimming and diving signs three for 2008 freshman class

by PegNews wire

Two of the swimmers will start in fall 2008, while Maroura Mathlouthi will enroll spring 2008.

The SMU women's swimming program has received three National Letters of Intent, head coach Steve Collins announced Wednesday. Two of the swimmers, Denisa Smolenova and Christy-Leigh Lategan, will join the squad for the 2008-09 season; the third, Maroura Mathlouthi, will enroll this spring and swim the winter/spring season starting in January 2008.

Mathlouthi is currently training with the Amiens Metropole Natation in Amiens, France. She originally comes from Tunis, Tunisia, where she was selected for the 2008 Tunisian Olympic team. Mathlouthi has competed at the African Games and Championships and the World Championships in Short Course and Long Course. Recently, Mathlouthi won several gold medals at the 2007 Pan Arab Championships held in November in Egypt. She boasts career-best times (in long course meters) of 2:04.1 in the 200 free, 4:22.32 in the 400 free, 8:57.69 in the 800 free, 2:18.91 in the 200 IM and 4:54.31 in the 400 IM.

"We are thrilled to have Maroura joining the team in the second semester," said Collins. "It is exciting to have another swimmer who is qualified for the Olympic Games at SMU. Maroura will fill a need for our team in the 400 IM. She is rapidly improving, based on her most recent results at the Pan Arab Games in November. She will be a major contributor for the team in the middle distance and distance free events as well."

The Mustangs will welcome Smolenova and Lategan next season. Smolenova will come to the Hilltop from Bratislava, Slovakia, where she is a member of the Slovak National Team. Smolenova was also a finalist at the World Youth Championships, the European Championships (Short Course and Long Course) and the World Championships (Short Course and Long Course). She boasts career-best times (in long course meters) of 27.67 in the 50 fly, 1:01.42 in the 100 fly and 2:14.23 in the 200 fly.

"Denisa is an experienced fly swimmer who has had great results over the last few years," said Collins. "She will fill a need for our team in the 200 fly and add depth to our sprint fly events. I expect she will make a major contribution to our team at the NCAA Championships in the future. We are excited to have Denisa joining our team next fall."

Lategan hails from Kleksdorp, North West, South Africa, where she is a member of the South African Junior National Team. Lategan won silver at the World Youth Games, swimming a 57.2 split on the free leg of the 400 medley relay team. She has compiled career-best times (all times in long course meters) of 58.72 in the 100 free, 2:03.88 in the 200 free, 4:21.68 in the 100, 2:15.73 in the 200 fly, 2:23.57 in the 200 IM and 4:58.23 in the 400 IM.

"Christy is a top recruit with great versatility," said Collins. "She will be counted on in the middle-distance free events, where she has shown strong performances. In addition, she has top times in the 200 fly, which is an area of need for our team. Her results in relays will be important for the future, as the 400 and 800 free relays are key events to our success each year. Christy will be a major contributor in these events."

The Mustangs are back in action this weekend, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, at the U.S. National Short Course Championships in Atlanta, Ga. and at the UT Diving Invitational in Austin, Texas.

Source: SMU