Nov. 20, 2001

Swim Teams Sign Early Recruits

Head coach Seth Huston announced today that four student-athletes have signed early National Letters of Intent to swim for Truman, beginning about a year from now.

Two women and two men will join the Bulldogs next year, with three hailing from the state of Iowa and one from Texas.

Derek Duffy (Mason City, Iowa)

Duffy was a member of a state champion 200-yard medley relay team and finished third in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, earning high school all-America honors.

"Derek will fill in a big hole in the line up at backstroke," Huston said. "We're really looking forward to his instant contributions."

Josh Otis (Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling)

Otis was a member of the Des Moines Swimming Federation and earned all-state honors in the 200-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle, as well as honorable mention all-America accolades in the 200 IM. He was also an athlete representative for the Iowa Local Swimming Committee to the United State Swimming Association.

"Josh is strong in the individual medley events," Huston indicated. "He can compete in any stroke, so his versatility will make him very valuable to the team."

Meredith Rocha (Tyler, Texas/Grace Community)

Rocha is member of the ATAC-Tyler Swim Team coached by Janet Taylor. She swims the butterfly events as well as the individual medley and freestyle.

She was the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools' state champion in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle in 2001. In 2001, Rocha was the state champion in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke, and in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles in 1999.

"I think Meredith is going to be an awesome addition to the women's team," Huston said. "She will add to our depth in the butterfly events and has a lot of untapped potential."

Whitney Jensen (Grinnell, Iowa)

Whitney was the Iowa High School girls state champion in the 50-yard freestyle. Her brother was a junior all-conference receiver for the Truman football team this past season.

"Whitney will add depth to our sprint freestyle events," Huston indicated. "She makes our sprint events and sprint relays better. Whitney will make a great addition to our team."

The Truman women's swimming team is the defending NCAA Division II national champion. The women are 4-1 in duals so far in 2001-02, while the Bulldog men are 4-0. The women's team's only dual loss this season came to Division I Illinois.

Men's Releases | Women's Releases | Men's Swimming | Women's Swimming | Truman Athletics