Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Swimming Signs Five to Letters of Intent
12/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Dec. 4, 2000
Evanston, Ill - Northwestern University women's swimming coach Jimmy Tierney announced the signing of five elite high school swimmers to National Letters of Intent. Brielle Bovee (Winter Park, Fla./Corona Del Sol), Lesley Meade (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Ursuline Academy), Rachel Tepe (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy), Lori Schwanhausser (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) and Paige Nath (Wichita, Kan./Trinity Academy) will be in the pool for the `Cats next season.
Bovee will compete in the breaststroke events. She is currently a member of the National Junior team and has represented the United States at the Short Course World Championships.
"Brielle is one of the top breaststrokers in the country and will help our team out enormously in the coming seasons," said Tierney.
Schwanhausser will look to make an impact as a freestyle sprinter and middle-distance swimmer for NU. She was a 1999 Y-National Champion in the 100m freestyle, while also qualifying in the 50m, 200m, and 400m freestyle. Schwanhausser will also see action as part of the relay teams.
"We are thin in the sprint and middle distance events," Tierney said. "Lori will add much-needed depth to pick up points in those areas."
Nath has the ability to contribute in a multitude of events for NU. Coach Tierney is excited about the flexibility of her talents. Nath was a Junior National Champion in the 100m butterfly and is ranked in the top 16 of her age group.
"Paige is talented in several events. It will be hard to choose where she will fit best to score points for the team," said Tierney.
Meade is a high school All-American and holds a state record as part of
Ursuline Academy's 400m freestyle relay team. She took second place among all swimmers at the Northeast Junior National meet.
"Lesley will add depth to the breaststroke and IM events," said Tierney. "She will have the chance to score points in Big Ten and NCAA qualifying meets."
Tepe has earned All-America honors since her freshman year in three events. She won the 2000 state championship in the 100-yard backstroke and was an Olympic Trial qualifier in the 200-meter backstroke.
"Rachel will help maintain our strength in the backstroke after Tashy Bohm graduates," said Tierney. "She is particularly strong in the 200."
NU diving coach Tom Michael announced the signing of Ashley Carter (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy), the defending Kentucky state champion in the 1-meter springboard. Carter was a national qualifier in both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard.
"Ashley will make an instant impact to the program in both diving events," said Michael. "She has an enormous amount of untapped potential."
