Bridgeport Swimming Set To Welcome Nine New Members for 2013-14 Campaign

Bridgeport, Conn.-University of Bridgeport head swimming coach Brad Flood has released the names of his programs newest members for the 2013-14 season.  Flood will welcome two women and six men to the Park City in the fall.

While the women's class numbers only three, the quality will certainly help the Purple Knights as they strive to get back on track with NCAA qualifiers.  Last year was the first year since the 2004-05 season, when the women's team was started; they did not have an NCAA Championships qualifier.  French National Team member, Adeline Martin (Antibes, France) should remedy that and lead the NCAA charge, as she has recent times in the Breaststroke, IM & Freestyle events that all would have placed at the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships.  Martin represented France in the 200IM at this summer's 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia. Joining Martin will be Polina Melnikova (Moscow, Russia), who brings solid times in the sprint freestyles & backstrokes, adding needed depth in those events. The third woman joining the UB squad is Shannan Bott (Hamburg, Germany), who will bring much needed depth to the butterfly and individual medley events.   All three swimmers will greatly improve all the women's relays that narrowly missed qualifying for the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships.

On the men's side, the six new swimmers will add "up front" strength and great depth to the squad that finished eighth at the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships with only six swimmers.  University of Virginia transfer Ivan Capan (Zagreb, Croatia), the most versatile of the 2012-13 class, brings solid performances the Butterfly, Breaststroke, Freestyle and IM events at all distances.  Many of Capan's times would have easily qualified for, and placed high at the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships.   Meanwhile, a trio of transfer swimmers from Barcelona, Spain, Ivan Sangines, Didac Matsuyama and Albert Alemany will form the core of the Purple Knights distance swimmers.  The three Spaniards excel in the freestyle distances from 200 up to the 1650, many of which would have qualified for the 2012 NCAA Division II Championships.  Vasilii Danilov (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan), a transfer sophomore, brings great strength in the IM's and Breaststroke events, as well as the Freestyles from 50 - 200.  Danilov comes to UB fresh of his performances in the 100-meter Breaststroke & 200-meter Individual Medley at the 2013 World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, Spain.  Diego Marques (Marilia, Brazil) is the final new member of the 2013-14 UB men's squad with solid performances in the middle distance Freestyles and the 100 & 200 Butterfly events.

Below is a list of best times for the 2013-14 UB Purple Knight Swimming "Rookies":

lcm = long course meters; scm = short course meters

WOMEN

Martin, Adeline, Antibes, France – Transfer Junior – IM/Breast/Free

BEST TIMES – 50 Free – 26.91 (scm); 100 Free – 58.02 (lcm); 200 Free – 2:03.04 (lcm)/2:01.19 (scm); 400 Free – 4:16.67 (lcm); 800 Free – 8:47.83 (lcm); 100 Breaststroke – 1:10.66 (lcm)/1:09.48 (scm); 200 Breaststroke – 2:31.88 (lcm)/2:29.60 (scm); 200 IM – 2:15.90 (lcm)/2:14.75 (scm); 400 IM – 4:47.57 (lcm)/4:41.27 (scm)

Melnikova, Polina, Moscow, Russia – Freshman – FREE/BACK

BEST TIMES – 50 Free - 27.67 (lcm)/27.33 (scm); 100 Free – 59.70 (lcm)/58.76 (scm); 200 Free – 2:10.41 (lcm); 100 Back – 1:08.37 (lcm)

Bott, Shannan, Hamburg, Germany – Freshman – FLY/IM

BEST TIMES – 100 Fly – 1:05.59 (lcm)/1:05.55 (scm); 200 Fly – 2:21.46 (lcm)/2:21.19 (scm); 200 IM – 2:24.71 (lcm)/2:23.54 (scm); 400 IM – 5:11.84 (lcm)/5:02.56 (scm)

MEN

Alemany, Alberto, Barcelona, Spain - Transfer Sophomore - DISTANCE FREE

BEST EVENTS – 200 Free – 1:51.40 (scm); 400 Free - 3:54.61 (scm); 800 Free – 8:22.21 (lcm)/8:09.17 (scm); 1500/1650 Free – 16:07.73 (lcm); 400IM – 4:45.58 (lcm)

Capan, Ivan, Zagreb, Croatia – Transfer Sophomore - FLY/BREAST/FREE

BEST EVENTS – 50 Free – 24.09 (lcm)/23.47 (scm); 100 Free – 51.95 (lcm)/50.06 (scm); 100 Breast – 1:00.91 (scm); 2:15.45 (scm); 100 Fly – 55.73 (lcm); 200 Fly – 2:02.62 (scm); 200IM – 2:08.54

Danilov, Vasilii, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – Transfer Sophomore          - IM/FREE/BREAST

BEST EVENTS – 50 Free – 23.93 (lcm); 100 Free – 51.81 (lcm)/50.45 (scm);200 Free – 1:51.22 (scm); 100 Breaststroke – 1:05.29 (lcm); 200 IM – 2:05.18 (lcm)/2:01.66 (scm); 400 IM 4:19.01 (scm)

Marques, Diego, Marilia, Brazil – Freshman - FREE/FLY

BEST TIMES – 100 Free – 52.88 (lcm)/52.48 (scm); 200 Free - 1:54.90 (lcm)/1:53.70 (scm); 400 Free – 4:11.08 (lcm)/4:06.44 (scm); 100 Fly – 57.64 (lcm)/57.30 (scm); 200 Fly – 2:11.66 (lcm)

Matsuyama, Didac, Barcelona, Spain – Transfer Sophomore - DISTANCE FREE

BEST TIMES – 200 Free – 1:52.50 (lcm)/1:49.68 (scm); 400 Free – 3:58.88 (lcm); 800 Free – 8:26.14 (lcm)/8:15.59; 1500/1650 – 15:55.05 (lcm)/15:24.32; 100 Fly – 56.74 (lcm)/55.23 (scm); 200 Fly – 2:06.43 (lcm)/2:01.95 (scm)

Sangines, Ivan, Barcelona, Spain – Transfer Junior - DISTANCE FREE

BEST TIMES – 200 Free – 1:54.64 (lcm)/1:49.59 (lcm); 400 Free – 4:01.09 (lcm)/3:53.04 (scm); 800 Free – 8:22.46 (lcm)/8:06.90 (scm); 1500 Free 16:13.98 (lcm)/15:42.35 (scm)