Commitments

[Number1Spot77]

Any new news on who else has signed?

[ImPartial]

Are you just looking for information where people will be swimming next year or looking to see how many people will be receiving an athletic scholarship to swim? Signing a letter of intent means receiving athletic scholarship. "Commit" essentially means walk-on with zero athletic scholarship. Also, realize that no D3 program gives athletic scholarships.

From the Mason Manta Rays:
Keaton Freds, leaning toward Ashland
Mike Hart, signed with Georgia Tech
Stephen Koch, committed to Ohio State
Jared Kolwyck, committed to Univ Pittsburgh
Brendan McNamara, committed to Univ Kentucky
Zach Rice, signed with Univ Buffalo
Elizabeth Tabor, signed with Univ Pittsburgh
Tyler Torbet, committed to Allegheny
Mary Wunderle, signed with Georgia Tech

Recently seen in the Enquirer:
Matt McKee, signed with Miami University
Will Lawley, committed to Princeton (Ivy League schools do not allow athletic scholarships)

[ElksSWIM2010]

WTRC SHARKS:
Blaine Kincaid-Ohio State
Dan Glaser-Garbrick-Carnegie Melon
Mark Gammell-Michigan State
Nate Falknor- University of Cincinnati

[Number1Spot77]

what about some people up north or in Cincinnati?

[crusader007]

Joe Albers - The Ohio State University

David Sanders - University of Kentucky

[ImPartial]

Joe Albers - The Ohio State University

David Sanders - University of Kentucky

Walkons or scholarship?

I read in the Enquirer that Jason Schnur is also going to Ohio State.

[Amazin']

Walkons or scholarship?

I read in the Enquirer that Jason Schnur is also going to Ohio State.

Albers - Walk-on
Sanders - Scholarship

- Have also heard Schnur will be at Ohio State

[ImPartial]

With over 50 guys on their roster, Ohio State must have more walk-ons than most teams have swimmers. Look at the times for nine swimmers (all underclassmen) that Ohio State sent to the Big Ten championship in the 200 IM:

146.99 Justin Farra
147.41
147.71
147.84
148.36
149.69
150.69
151.40
151.54

Here are the top times of the new walk-ons from the high school state champ series:

151.62 Albers
153.86 Kincaid
154.24 Koch

That means the Ohio champ is (at least) number 10 on their depth chart.

[Number1Spot77]

I wouldnt worry about albers. He will probably move up on their depth chart after one year of swimming. Ill expect big things.

[swimclubber]

Are you just looking for information where people will be swimming next year or looking to see how many people will be receiving an athletic scholarship to swim? Signing a letter of intent means receiving athletic scholarship. "Commit" essentially means walk-on with zero athletic scholarship. Also, realize that no D3 program gives athletic scholarships.

From the Mason Manta Rays:
Keaton Freds, leaning toward Ashland
Mike Hart, signed with Georgia Tech
Stephen Koch, committed to Ohio State
Jared Kolwyck, committed to Univ Pittsburgh
Brendan McNamara, committed to Univ Kentucky
Zach Rice, signed with Univ Buffalo
Elizabeth Tabor, signed with Univ Pittsburgh
Tyler Torbet, committed to Allegheny
Mary Wunderle, signed with Georgia Tech

Recently seen in the Enquirer:
Matt McKee, signed with Miami University
Will Lawley, committed to Princeton (Ivy League schools do not allow athletic scholarships)
I just don't get it...why such a concern over "committed" versus "signed"? The bottom line is these kids dedicated themselves to swimming and will reap the reward of being able to swim at the next level. If we want to get caught up in the symantics then let's discuss the difference between swim programs and the strength of each conference? We could actually make a kid feel bad about signiong at a school because the conference is weaker than the others! Hey...that's an idea. It doesn't matter; in fact in some cases the student athelete not only committed but also signed!

[swimclubber]

With over 50 guys on their roster, Ohio State must have more walk-ons than most teams have swimmers. Look at the times for nine swimmers (all underclassmen) that Ohio State sent to the Big Ten championship in the 200 IM:

146.99 Justin Farra
147.41
147.71
147.84
148.36
149.69
150.69
151.40
151.54

Here are the top times of the new walk-ons from the high school state champ series:

151.62 Albers
153.86 Kincaid
154.24 Koch

That means the Ohio champ is (at least) number 10 on their depth chart.
These high school kids have worked hard and achieved a level to have the opportunity to swim at a program as strong as OSU. Congrats to them whether they are 1st or 10th when they begin their freshman year. Not quite sure the importance of singling out these kids or this one event versus the multitude of other events? In fact, these kids may not have even been recruited to swim this event and in one case they were not. My suggestion is to make points without identifying the kids so that you appear to be IMPARTIAL when in fmy opinion you are not at all...unfortunately!

[Xbomber098]

These high school kids have worked hard and achieved a level to have the opportunity to swim at a program as strong as OSU. Congrats to them whether they are 1st or 10th when they begin their freshman year. Not quite sure the importance of singling out these kids or this one event versus the multitude of other events? In fact, these kids may not have even been recruited to swim this event and in one case they were not. My suggestion is to make points without identifying the kids so that you appear to be IMPARTIAL when in fmy opinion you are not at all...unfortunately!

Are we really going to go back to ripping on what people post? I think everyone has had enough bickering on this forum. Please dont try to start any. We know that committing to college is all good, but signing is a bit better. You get paid to swim if you sign. Not to belittle the walk ons, they have plenty of opportunity to get money if they swim well, but those guys who sign are good enough to get paid to swim at their schools.

[ImPartial]

I just don't get it...why such a concern over "committed" versus "signed"? The bottom line is these kids dedicated themselves to swimming and will reap the reward of being able to swim at the next level. If we want to get caught up in the symantics then let's discuss the difference between swim programs and the strength of each conference? We could actually make a kid feel bad about signiong at a school because the conference is weaker than the others! Hey...that's an idea. It doesn't matter; in fact in some cases the student athelete not only committed but also signed!

I think xbomber pointed out the big difference in that you get paid to swim if you sign. If someone had posted the following:

Title: who is buying a car
Message: who got a free car?

Someone might ask for a clarification: which do you want to know, who is buying a car or who is getting a free car or do you want to know both?

Then someone else might follow up and say, it's not whether it's free or not, but how fast, what gas mileage, what make/model, what color, etc. But none of these distinctions change who is paying for the car.

Times are neither partial nor impartial, they are just factual results from meets. An opinion is something that can be partial. In my opinion, "recruiting" involves an offer of a scholarship. When I read the NCAA rules, signing a letter of intent involves a legally binding contract between a university and an athlete, with a financial obligation from the university to "pay" for all or some of the athlete's education. The contract cannot be voided during the season due to injury or athletic performance.

When a coach tries to convince an athlete to "commit" to their university with zero financial obligation from the university, in my opinion, that is a sales pitch. You can call it semantics, but that is my opinion. Sometimes walk-ons work out great and earn a scholarship the next season. But, there are also recent examples when a swimmer has commited to Ohio State and is not part of the team by the first meet. The Ohio State roster lists fourteen freshman, but only a couple qualified for the Big Ten meet. And I bet those freshmen will be the ones on scholarship next year.

It is basically a gamble by the coaching staff to choose to offer a scholarship OR a sales pitch to a prospective athlete. If a swimmer has a time their junior year that will score points at their conference meet, a coach is likely to gamble with a scholarship offer during the early signing period. Otherwise, the coach will offer a sales pitch. That is probably why Huffman and Willets were able to sign with Michigan in November.

Any underclassman or their parents that think that swimming will pay their way through college needs to realize how difficult it is to get a swim scholarship, especially considering how programs such as Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati have either elimiated the program entirely or eliminated scholarships. Of the seventeen top-notch swimmers listed in this thread (all state qualifiers?), I only counted six that signed for a swim scholarship. It is not just semantics, since there is a quantifiable ($) difference.

[thedutchman]

I'm not certain that it is as simple as those who get a scholarship...or more likely a partial scholarship...are paid to swim. In Division I, the NCAA permits 9.9 swim scholarships per men's team and 14 scholarships per women's team. In Division II, the NCAA allows 8.1 scholarships per men's team and per women's team. No athletic scholarships are permitted in Division III. With so few scholarships available it is impressive when someone receives one or part of one. Since the NCAA limits the number of scholarships, some coaches likely are creative in obtaining financial assistance for their athletes. Other types of scholarships do not count against the 9.9 limit. Yet, swimming proficiency and a coaches advocacy may play into a decision to offer other types of scholarships and grants. Division III does it all the time across the board in athletics. In that way someone may be a walk on in terms of designated swimming scholarship money but still be getting assistance.