LITTLE ROCK - The Little Rock swimming and diving team officially welcomes five additional faces to the squad today, as head coach Amy Burgess continues to build a young but steadily improving team. Joining the Trojans in the 2020-21 season are newcomers Taylor Floyd (Oviedo, Florida), Maci McCullough (Wichita, Kansas), Gabriella O'Neil (Covington, Louisiana), Cheryl Poulsen (Katy, Texas), and Clare Sprinkle (Arlington, Tennessee).
Read more about the incoming class below:
Taylor Floyd (Oviedo, Florida)
Primarily a backstroker for the Blue Dolfins swim club, Floyd has the ability to sprint butterfly in her back pocket as well. Her 200 backstroke time of 2:03.66 would already put her second on the Little Rock top times list, as well as place her in the A final of the 2019 Missouri Valley Championships, while her 57.21 100 back, also cracking the list, would have made the B final. She is the 52nd ranked recruit in Florida according to CollegeSwimming, with additional top times of 26.91 in the 50 back and 58.83 in the 100 fly.
Coach Burgess on Floyd - "Taylor is going to come in and make an immediate impact in our backstroke group, not only on our team but in the MVC as well. We are also looking forward to seeing how we can develop her sprint fly skills."
Maci McCullough (Wichita, Kansas)
The third-ranked recruit in Kansas by CollegeSwimming, McCullough is a competitor that could fit into several positions in the Trojan roster. While representing Wichita West High School, she posted most of her best freestyle times, including 52.37 in the 100 free and 5:02.51 in the 500. Her state-winning 1:51.87 in the 200 free already puts her on the Little Rock top times list, and would comfortably place her in the A final of the 2019 Missouri Valley Championships as well. McCullough boasts several solid times in oddstroke events with her club team, the Wichita Northwest YMCA Neptunes, all of which should help drop time off of her current 4:29.85 400 IM.
Coach Burgess on McCullough - "Maci is going to come in making some big waves for our program and in the MVC. Also a former teammate of current junior swimmer Mia, Maci is going to be a key player in our middle distance group and freestyle relays."
Gabriella O'Neil (Covington, Louisiana)
The number two recruit coming out of Louisiana according to CollegeSwimming, O'Neil is another well-rounded swimmer that has talents ranging from short to long freestyle as well as breaststroke. A four-time state champion for the Hurricane Swim Club, her times of 1:52.90 in the 200 free, 5:03.74 in the 500 free, and 10:28.19 in the 1000 already crack the Trojan top times list. In addition, O'Neil's sprint events also shine: 24.19 in the 50 free and 52.16 in the 100 free. Her 100 and 200 free times would have placed her in the A final of the 2019 Missouri Valley Championships, while her 500 free and 200 breaststroke (2:24.48) would have also scored in the B final.
Coach Burgess on O'Neil - "Gabrielle is going to add more depth to our middle distance and sprint free groups. She is going to do some special things these next four years and we are looking forward to having her in the Little Rock Family."
Cheryl Poulsen (Katy, Texas)
A member of the Texas Elite Swim Team, Cheryl Poulsen is an up-and-coming sprinter that has posted nearly all of her personal best times within the past year or so. Her best events include the 50 free, where she has recorded a time of 24.60, and the 100 free, where she holds a 53.98. While her current times are only just out of scoring reach at the Missouri Valley Championships, the Little Rock collegiate environment may prove to be just the push Poulsen needs to make an impact as well as determine the third event in her lineup.
Coach Burgess on Poulsen - "We are excited to welcome Cheryl and the help she will bring to our sprint freestyle events. I see a lot of potential in her and am excited to see what she can do over the next four years."
Clare Sprinkle (Arlington, Tennessee)
Another steadily improving swimmer, Sprinkle is a freestyler that leans toward the distance events for the Memphis Tiger Swim Club. Her best times of 5:13.02 in the 500 free, 10:45.95 in the 1000, and 4:55.61 in the 400 IM are all very recent, from 2019, and her most valuable event may be the grittiest of them all: the mile. Her 1650 mark of 17:42.64 already places her within the Little Rock top times list, and the time would also have secured points for the Trojans at the 2019 Missouri Valley Championships.
Coach Burgess on Sprinkle - "To round out our incoming group we are excited to have Clare in the Trojan Family and the depth she will add to our distance freestyle group, as well as exploring the 400 IM. She just recently began to train specifically for distance and we are looking forward to seeing what she can do in the MVC."
For the latest information on Little Rock Swimming and Diving, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockSwim on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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