FOUR MASON MANTA RAYS COMMIT TO SWIMMING IN COLLEGE
The City of Mason’s Manta Ray Swim Team is proud to announce that the following four 2014 seniors have committed to swim at the following colleges this fall:
Casey Frazier –Lakota West -- Miami University
Alisabeth Marsteller – Ursuline -- Princeton University
Maureen Sullivan – Mason High School -- Miami University
Zoe Thatcher – Mason High School -- Auburn University
FOUR SWIMSWAM.COM ARTICLES FROM OUR OWN COACH AMANDA SMITH ABOUT THESE FOUR SENIORS
Ohio’s No. 1 and Top 40 recruit Zoe Thatcher commits to Auburn
Auburn’s Brett Hawke and new staff for the 2013-2014 season have inked top 40 recruit Zoe Thatcher from the Mason Manta Rays under Ken Heis out of Cincinnati, Ohio tonight.
Thatcher is primarily a distance freestyler. Thatcher’s bests include a 1:47.59/4:44.72/16:19.37 200/500/1650 freestyles, plus a 4:19.23 400 IM. Hawke will look to Thatcher to fill a major roster gap in his freestyle gaps, since freshman Ashley Neidigh seems to be the only current swimmer on the team who will compete in the 500/1000/1650 freestyle this season.
Thatcher had an explosive junior year campaign. She emerged on the Junior National scene last winter in December 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. There she finished 3rd in the 500, in the 4th 1650, plus consolation finishes in the 200 freestyle, 400 IM, and 200 backstroke.
Her high school junior year was no short of success. At Southwest Districts, she erased a 29-year-old record in the 200 freestyle. The next week she won both the 200 and 500 freestyles at the State Meet, her second consecutive 500 title.
And at the fastest Junior Nationals to date this past summer in Irvine, she recorded best times, plus a top 16 finish in the 400m freestyle. Her best times long course stand at 2:04.36/4:18.18/16:48.9 in the freestyles and 4:59.03 IM.
“So much of swimming is about mental toughness,” Thatcher told SWIMSWAM, “And I really believe the coaches at Auburn will help me be both stronger in the mind and faster in the pool.”
“And Auburn just felt like home,” Thatcher said. “There’s just something special about the place. I’m so excited to be a Tiger. WAR EAGLE!”
Thatcher has a lot of talent in front of her. She is tall and lean, with a very smooth stroke, great streamline and underwater kicks, even as a distance freestyler, are all parts of her great foundation heading into collegiate athletics.
Another fun fact of Thatcher, her entire swimming career she has not trained long course meters, at all. That, plus more dryland and strength training, Thatcher can expect to fulfill Hawke’s expectations for her.
She will immediately score points at SEC’s, and with the easy elevations to her training at Auburn, expect to see her at NCAA’s and scoring.
ALISABETH MARSTELLER: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Susan Teeter’s Princeton swim team has earned another verbal commitment from a top female in the 2014 class. Alisabeth Marsteller, from greater Cincinnati, Ohio area, has committed to Teeter starting next fall.
Marsteller swims for the Mason Manta Rays, under Head Coach Ken Heis. The Manta Rays started back in 2003, and Marsteller has been there and a star swimmer since the beginning of the program. She also swims for famed Ursuline Academy, who have a rich high school swim history, with six state titles to their name.
She’s a talent swimmer with a lot more great swimming in front of her. When she spoke about her choice, she said, “Princeton will help me reach my goals in swimming as well as the goals I have set for myself academically. The coaches are also interested in not only making you a better swimmer, but also a better person.”
She’s a top flight student, earning a Junior Scholarship Award for being top 3 in her graduating class. In addition, she is a National Merit Commended Scholar and AP Scholar; the Ivy League is exactly the academic level she achieves at.
Marsteller’s versatility in the water is noteworthy. She can swim just about any event respectively, with a focus in the IM and short/mid freestyles. Just look at her best times:
50 Freestyle: 23.6/26.3
100 Freestyle: 50.1/57.1
200 Freestyle: 1:47.6/2:03.6
500 Freestyle: 4:50.7/4:22.4
100 Backstroke: 56.3/1:05
200 Backstroke: 2:02.4/2:21
100 Breaststroke: 1:06.3/1:19.4
100 Butterfly: 58.1
200 IM: 2:01.2/2:19.9
And she is a monster on relays. When the race is tight, you can count of Marsteller to get to the wall first. At the 2013 Ohio High School State Meet, Ursuline was in a chase for the state title, and the relay were critical for the Lions.
She split 22.9 and 49.5 as the anchor leg. Plus she finished 3rd in both the 200 IM and 100 freestyle. Her efforts paid off as Ursuline won their first Divison I State Title in 11 years.
Marsteller also was the Southwest Ohio District Champion in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle the weekend before State. Plus has been a USA Sectional winner twice in her career. Marsteller owns easily up to 20 records at the Manta Rays over the ten years.
CASEY FRAZIER & MAUREEN SULLIVAN: FUTURE REDHAWKS
Mark Davis and the RedHawks will add two Greater Cincinnati swimmers next fall. Both Casey Frazier and Maureen Sullivan of the Mason Manta Rays have give their verbal commitments (with early signing happening today) to stay in Ohio and swim at Miami (OH) in Oxford, Ohio.
Casey Frazier is an upcoming breaststroke and individual medley swimmer. Casey has been on the Mason Manta Rays since its establishment 10 years ago under Head Coach Ken Heis. Outside the club season, she represents Lakota West during the high school season in Ohio.
“I chose Miami because I really liked the team atmosphere and the coaching staff. And any day of the year, the campus is absolutely beautiful. Plus, I plan on majoring in business and their program has a great reputation, which is just another bonus to everything else.” Frazier said about her college choice.
Frazier has a lot of potential still in front of her, with a great foundation is each of her strokes. At Districts last year, she finished 5th in the 200 IM and 2nd in the 100 breaststroke. Plus, her Lakota West 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays were top 8 and earned a berth to the State Championships. At State, Frazier finished 15th in the 200 IM and 16th in the 100 breaststroke individually.
Miami is also gaining a very strong academically athlete out of Frazier. Even if Frazier wasn’t a swimmer, her grades and test scores could alone earn her a full scholarship to Miami – which is ranked very highly academically in the nation. She has been a USA Swimming Scholastic All American, in her high school’s National Honor Society, and will be Lakota West’s Salutatorian for the Class of 2014.
Her best times include 1:05.57/2:23.44 100/200 breaststrokes and 2:05.41/4:29.52 200/400IM – all are NCSA Junior time standards.
Mauren Sullivan is another Manta Ray making her way to Oxford, Ohio next season. Sullivan has primarily been coached by her father, Mark Sullivan – who is the Head Water Polo & Swim Coach at Mason High School, plus the Varsity Group coach at the Manta Rays.
Sullivan told us that, “Miami was the only place where I felt comfortable. It felt like I already knew the girls since they were so welcoming to me on my trip. What was also very important was that I knew Miami could be the next home for me. The coaches were awesome and made me feel very comfortable; which was a big part in my decision, since my dad has been my coach for the past four years.”
Sullivan is extremely athletic; she’s been a star water polo player throughout high school. Just recently in her senior captain year, Mason High School Water Polo won their first State Title and Sullivan has garnered many awards in her career including All Ohio First Team, All Ohio Player of the Year (Jr. and Sr. year), and First Team All American (Jr.).
Like Frazier, Sullivan has a lot more swimming and improvement in her future. Sullivan is more on the “raw” side in our sport, she’s always balanced other sports, plus swam year round for the first time this past summer. While being mainly a winter swimmer, Sullivan is a three-time state qualifier, and last year at Districts she finished 6th in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Unfortunately, Sullivan ran into a bout of strep throat at State last season, but was able to step up and swim big for the Comet relays. The 200 medley relay finished 10th, while the 200 freestyle relay was 5th. Plus, Sullivan has played a big role at the conference meet, where Mason High School has won every GMC Championships since 2007 on the women’s side.
Sullivan is a sprint freestyle and backstroke specialist. Her best time are 24.26 (23.79r) 50 freestyle, 26.61/56.92/2:07.90 50/100/200 backstroke.
The Mason Manta Rays swim team is a Top 100 nationally ranked City of Mason Parks & Recreation program. For more information about this program, please visit www.masonswimming.org.
