Princeton University Athletics
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Three-Time Defending Ivy Champ Women's Swimming/Diving Announces Nationally-Ranked Class Of 2012
June 17, 2008 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Head coach Susan Teeter recently experienced one of the finest seasons in her impressive coaching tenures. She led the Princeton women's swimming and diving team to its 18th Ivy League title, including the 13th of her tenure. She took seven swimmers to the NCAA Championships, easily the most impressive number for a non-scholarship program, and she guided Princeton to a Top-20 ranking. If you think she's satisfied, though, you simply don't know the driving force of the premier swimming and diving squad in the Ivy League.
Teeter proudly announced the 12 members of the Princeton women's swimming and diving Class of 2012. Collegeswimming.com recently ranked the incoming class 14th in the nation, ahead of such programs as reigning Big XII champion Texas A&M and UCLA. This group will look to follow in the footsteps of Teeter's last two recruiting classes, which included the likes of All-America performers Alicia Aemisegger '10 and Meredith Monroe '11.
"We've been fortunate to be the leader in the Ivies for well over a decade now," Teeter said. "It's our hope that the Class of 2012 can and will help us continue that tradition of excellence we've come to expect of ourselves. I'm excited these women have chosen to join our family and look forward to coaching them through their careers as Tigers."
Here are brief bios on the 11 incoming performers, all of whom will hope to lead Princeton to a fourth straight Ivy League championship in 2009.
Jillian Altenburger (Villa Walsh Academy/Morristown, N.J.) is a name that might be familiar to Princeton fans. Her older sister Eileen was a member of the Princeton Class of 2006 and was part of the historic 47-meet win streak, a Princeton record for any program. The youngest of four sisters, Jillian could make one of the biggest splashes of any freshman next season. She has posted Top-20 times in both IMs and the 200 free at her age level and has an Olympic trial time in the 200 IM (2:01.95). Altenburger also has strong times in the 100 free and both breast events, so Teeter has several options to consider with this Berkeley Aquatic Club standout.
Caitlin Baran (Carroll/Southlake, Texas) is another Olympic Trial qualifier for the Class of 2012. Baran qualified in the 200 breast (2:35.09) and is a four-time All-America honoree in the 200 IM and 100 breast, as well as the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay. A three-time team MVP and the captain her senior year, Baran was an undefeated 200 IM swimmer in her district all four years. A Scholastic All-American and Academic All-American, she was a Wendy's Heisman Award nominee and a McDonald's Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
Leslie Bargmann (Lincoln-Sudbury/Lincoln, Mass.) excels in the fly and IM events for the Bluefish Swim Club. Her best event is the 100 fly, where she earned a junior national cut time and has earned significant success in the New England region. A two-time American All-Scholastic honoree, Bargmann earned a top scholar honor at her high school.
Megan Charles (St. Joseph's Convent/Diego Martin, T&T) has represented Trinidad & Tobago in several Caribbean competitions, including the CARIFTA Games and the Carribbean Islands Swimming Competitions. A sprint free specialist, she competes for the Marlins Swim Club and has six Top-10 finishes in the Hyandai Maracas Open Water Swim competitions. Charles has also competed for the Trinity & Tobago national water polo team.
Hannah Cody (The Lovett School/Atlanta, Ga.) is a four-time Scholastic All-America selection who has represented Dynamo Swim Club at Spring Nationals, Junior Nationals and U.S. Open meets. She excels in the breaststroke who placed third in the Georgia state championships in the 100 and twice earned the high-point scorer honor. She is also a NISCA All-America recipient.
Courtney Feldman (Cherry Creek/Greenwood Villago, Colo.) was selected as a 2007-08 All-America Diver by the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association. She placed in the Top 3 in the Colorado 5A state championships in each of her last two years and in the Top 20 each year in high school. She placed third as a senior despite four broken fingers and won the Centennial league title earlier in the year. A four-time Most Outstanding Diver at Cherry Creek, Feldman also compete for the University of Denver Hilltoppers, her club team. Feldman is also an accomplished chess player and golfer who was voted by her faculty as a top senior athlete finalist.
Kerry Gruendel (Greenwich/Greenwich, Conn.) was a multiple-time All-America performer while swimming at Greenwich. She is a strong sprint free, breast and IM competitor who, while competing for the Badger Swim Club, recently qualified for the summer U.S. Open national competition in the 200 IM. Gruendel also was a spring nationals qualifier in the 100 breast, and she holds the Greenwich school record in the 50 free.
Christina Kirkwood (South Anchorage/Anchorage, Ak.) joins Feldman to complete the incoming diving group for coach Greg Gunn. The reigning Region IV and Alaska state champion on the one-meter board, Kirkwood was named her team MVP as a senior. She was a former nationally competitive gymnast before picking up diving and graduated with academic honors at South Anchorage.
Erin McGowan Kiernan (Bronxville/Bronxville, N.Y.) began swimming for the Badger Swim at six years of age and is a fly and IM standout. She earned five varsity letters at Bronxville High and placed on the New York Section One team four times at the state championship meets. A co-captain and team MVP her senior year, she was elected the Senior Athlete Representative on the Metropolitan Swimming Board and was a member of the USA Swimming House of Delegates in 2007. Kiernan is also an Academic All-America and a Scholastic All-America honoree by national swimming organizations.
Mary Killian (Harpeth Hall/Nashville, Tenn.) is a state finalist in her two strongest events, the back and IM. She qualified for the state finals in the 100 back and 200 IM every year of her high school career and led Harpeth Hall to four league and regional team titles and three state championships. A four-time All-America honoree, Killian won the 100 back state title as a junior. She earned the top student-athlete honor at her high school as a senior and earned one of the school's top academic honors all four years.
Lauren Shanley (Ann Arbor Pioneer/Ann Arbor, Mich.) was a three-time All-America, nine-time all-state and 10-time all-conference competitor in the mid- and distance-free and IM events at her high school. A two-time member of Swimming World's Mythical National Championship team, she helped lead her team to four conference and state championships. As a competitor for the Ann Arbor Swim Club/Club Wolverine, she was a four-time junior national team member and a Top 20 finisher in the 1650 in 2007.
Aislinn Smalling (Westlake/Westlake, Calif.) is an 11-time All-America and the school record holder in the 200 free, 200 IM, 200 free relay and 400 free relay. The four-time Westlake MVP, she earned the school's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor as a senior. Her 200 free relay team set the CIF record and was undefeated in the league in the 200 and 500 free all four years. She is a USA junior national qualifier in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 free and a US Short Course National qualifier in the 200, 400/500, 800/1000 and 1500 events.