By The Class: Top 5 DI Female Freshman To Watch For
By The Class: Top 5 DI Female Freshman To Watch For
FloSwimming's new series, By The Class, analyzes the top male and female Division I NCAA swimmers in each class -- freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior.
Welcome to the next installment of our newest series, By The Class. In this series, we will analyze the top five Division I swimmers -- both male and female -- to watch out for in the upcoming 2017-2018 NCAA season.
While there are certain sure bets, things don't always shake out in March as we expect them to in September.
What can Brooke Forde not do? The undisputed No. 1 recruit in the class of 2017 is primarily an IM'er with times already that would have scored top eight at NCAA's last season. With the backbone of her resume a 4:02 400 IM, Forde does not have a legitimate weak stroke and can plug in for Greg Meehan and the Cardinal wherever needed -- a true Swiss Army Knife. When looking at the NCAA schedule, Forde is likely to focus on the 200/400 IM and 200 breaststroke with strong potential to make Stanford's already phenomenal 800 freestyle relay.
Similar to Forde, Courtney Harnish is an extremely versatile swimmer who favors the butterfly events. With times of 52.8 and 1:54.3 in the 100 and 200, respectively, Harnish is an immediate scoring threat. As a matter of fact, her best time of 1:54.37 in the 200 would have placed her in the A-final at NCAA's last season. There is no question that Georgia coach Jack Bauerle values versatility and Harnish's ability to drop a 1:44.7 flat start 200 free will be a welcome addition to the Dawgs 800 freestyle relay that slipped a bit last season relative to their dominance in year's past.
USC junior Riley Scott has been leading Trojan charge in the breaststroke events, but she now has some competition from Maggie Aroesty. Her best time of 58.98 in the 100 would have placed her in the A-final at NCAA's last season and made her a major asset on the USC medley relays. If Aroesty can bring her 200 breast and 200 IM down a bit, she will be a major threat for the next four years in Los Angeles.
If versatility kills in college swimming, then Evie Pfeifer is a cold-blooded assassin. With Madisyn Cox exhausting her eligibility, Pfeifer's arrival in Austin could not have been better timing for Carol Capitani and company. Pfeifer had huge swims this summer at Nationals as well, dropping a 2:14 and 4:47 in the 200 and 200 IM, respectively, which provides momentum going into the college season. Throw in a 1:45 200 free and Pfeifer is going to be competing to join the Longhorn's fourth-place 800 freestyle relay from a year ago.
The theme for the class of 2017 seems to be all-purpose. Incoming Ohio State freshman Kristen Romano fits that mold well. On the eyeball test, her strength lies in the 200 back with a 1:53.98 to her name already. However, Romano can also swim 53 low in the 100 back and 100 fly plus a 49 mid in the 100 free and 1:46 in the 200 free -- prime to be plugged into any of the Buckeye's relays. As if that were not enough, the New York native can also put together a 4:10 in the 400 IM -- a sign that she does not have a legitimate weakness. As Bill Dorenkott moves into his first year as head coach of the combined program (he was previously coaching the separate women's team), he will look to utilize the gem of his recruiting class to move up from their 19th place finish a year ago.
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While there are certain sure bets, things don't always shake out in March as we expect them to in September.
Scouting The Field
2017-18 Top 5 Freshman -- Females
1.) Brooke Forde -- Stanford
| Brooke Forde |
|---|
| 100 Free: 49.74 |
| 200 Free: 1:44.68 |
| 500 Free: 4:39.87 |
| 100 Breast: 1:01.61 |
| 200 Breast: 2:09.12 |
| 200 Fly: 1:56.30 |
| 200 IM: 1:55.55 |
| 400 IM: 4:02.51 |
2.) Courtney Harnish -- Georgia
| Courtney Harnish |
|---|
| 100 Fly: 52.87 |
| 200 Fly: 1:54.37 |
| 200 Free: 1:44.73 |
| 500 Free: 4:39.13 |
| 200 Back: 1:54.40 |
| 400 IM: 4:11.93 |
3.) Maggie Aroesty -- Southern Cal
| Maggie Aroesty |
|---|
| 100 Breast: 58.98 |
| 200 Breast: 2:09.43 |
| 200 IM: 1:57.19 |
| 400 IM: 4:10.98 |
4.) Evie Pfeifer -- Texas
| Evie Pfeifer |
|---|
| 100 Free: 49.54 |
| 200 Free: 1:45.92 |
| 500 Free: 4:39.48 |
| 100 Back: 53.74 |
| 200 Back: 1:56.59 |
| 200 Breast: 2:13.82 |
| 200 IM: 1:58.53 |
| 400 IM: 4:12.89 |
5.) Kristen Romano -- Ohio State
| Kristen Romano |
|---|
| 100 Free: 49.47 |
| 200 Free: 1:46.74 |
| 100 Back: 53.36 |
| 200 Back: 1:53.98 |
| 100 Fly: 53.13 |
| 200 IM: 1:58.36 |
| 400 IM: 4:10.24 |
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