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BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo, the State University of New York Swimming and Diving Head Coach Andy Bashor rounded out his recruiting class by adding four new Bulls during the spring signing period. New to the team are Catherine Schultheis, Maddy Jacumski, Sarah Baxter and Tudor Puszet. This brings the 2015 recruiting class to 10 – seven women and three men.
“I want to thank my staff for the time and energy they have put into helping recruit this outstanding 2015 class,” Bashor said. “I want to thank each new UB family member for trusting their future in us. These four, plus the six that committed to UB in the fall, will strengthen our team and our pursuit of MAC Championships.”
Schultheis joins the team from Holly, NY and is a sprint freestyler. In high school, she was named Monroe County Westside Swimmer of the Year, Scholar Athlete and holds three team records (100 fly, 50 free and 400 free relay). Outside the pool, you can find her as the skipper of her dad’s boat or watching Grey’s Anatomy. Some of her favorite things include breakfast all the time and the Neofelis Nebulosa also known as the clouded leopard.
“I chose UB because it has the combination of everything I was looking for in a school,” Schultheis said. “They have great academics and an impressive swim program. I have always wanted to continue swimming at the collegiate level and I’m very excited to be able to do so with such a great team.”
“Catherine made a great impression on me when she made it clear that she wants to be at a school that will challenge her in the classroom and in the pool,” Bashor said. “With this attitude, she is going to add a lot to our team specifically in the sprint freestyle and relay events.”
Jacumski is a local backstroker from Clarence, NY. She has been team captain, five-year letter winner, school-record holder, Junior National qualifier and three-time MVP. In the classroom, she is an excellent student earning both Honor Roll and Scholar Athlete accolades all four years. Her favorites are: Grey’s Anatomy, the game Spud and the Buffalo Bills.
“I chose UB because I believe that it is the perfect fit, both academically and athletically,” Jacumski said. “UB has a great dental program, which is something that I am very interested in. I can see myself achieving great things and reaching my full potential at this school, in and out of the pool. I felt very comfortable and at home with the team and coaches as well. It also will be nice being close to home so my friends and family will be able to visit often.”
“It is always exciting to get the best swimmers from the Western New York area to UB,” Bashor said. “Maddy wants to reach her full potential here and we look forward to coaching her to it. She is going to strengthen our backstroke events and has made improvements in her sprint freestyle events.”
Baxter is a sophomore transfer from Penn State University and a Canandaigua, NY native. In high school, she was the school-record holder in the 100 and 200 free as well as a member of record-setting relay teams in the 200 and 400 free relays. Baxter also earned Section 5 Class B Swimmer of the Meet her final two years. When not in the water, she enjoys being outside as much as possible.
“I chose UB for the great opportunities in all areas it provides,” Baxter said. “The mix of academics, athletics, and environment is what I was looking for in a transfer school.”
“I was excited to learn from Sarah her desire to come to UB,” Bashor said. “She has the experience of swimming in the Big Ten which will help her thrive here. She will make an immediate impact on our team and the Mid-American Conference in the sprint free events and relays.”
Puszet joins the UB family from London, England. He is the 2015 Welsh National Champion in the 100 and 200 butterfly. Also, he just completed the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, a government initiative to help combine education and sport in England. Away from the pool, Puszet still enjoys being in the water as a dinghy instructor and really any big boy toy, planes, trains and automobiles.
“It goes without saying that UB has a great swimming program and this combined with an amazing engineering school offering me the opportunity to develop as a student and swimmer,” Puszet said. “The thing that really swung it for me was the friendship and welcome I received when I visited in February the warmth of which easily melted the -27C outside!”
“Tudor will strengthen our already strong butterfly group,” Bashor said. “He has impressed me with his time improvements over the past couple of years and I look forward to coaching him to even higher achievements.”
Also joining the team in the fall of 2015 are Julia Box, Mallory Buha, Kerry Giovanniello, Else Piseczny, Mason Miller and Zach Towers who signed back in the fall.
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