Arizona fits in a category alongside Dave Salo's USC Trojans for teams that may have missed out on the big two recruits Jack Conger and Ryan Murphy, but have done more-than-enough with that same scholarship money this fall that they're probably ok with that.
After the bomb dropped that they had picked up Junior College transfer Bradley Tandy last week, the Wildcats have added two more sizable recruits for this fall's class: Carson Brindle from Lincoln High in Oregon, and Thane Maudslien from the King Aquatic Club in Seattle.
Brindle loads this team up with yet another sprinter for next fall; it seems as though head coach Eric Hansen has made it an almost personal vendetta to rebuild what had become a very thin Arizona sprint crew: a necessity to compete for National Championships with the likes of Cal, Michigan, and Texas.
Brindle has bests of 20.25 in the 50 and 45.22 in the 100 yard freestyles. He doesn't go far beyond those two races yet (he's been a 1:46.4 in the 200 free, a 59.5 in the 100 breast), but Arizona did very well with a similar guy in Adam Small.
Lineup this group of sprinters that Arizona has coming in next fall:
- Carson Brindle (20.25/45.22)
- Bradley Tandy (19.06/42.76)
- Erik Risolvato (19.62/44.03)
- Renny Richmond (20.45/45.12)
Like USC, this is a lethal sprint group that will keep the Arizona relays strong for a long time.
Also joining the Arizona class of 2017 is Thane Maudslien from the King Aquatic Club. He is the defending Washington 3A Swimmer of the Year after winning the state titles in the 100 fly and the 200 free. In that 100 fly, where he's been a 49.89, next season he will be shooting for a perfect run in his high school career, having already taken three-straight State Championships.
This is a swimmer who was alread under 51 seconds as a freshman, so he hasn't necessarily made huge advancements, but he has steadily knocked a few tenths off each season of his high school career.
Ideally, he'll probably develop into an IM'er, having already been a 50.30 in the 100 back as well and a 1:01 in the 100 breaststroke (from a mid-season meet as a junior). His best in the 200 IM at present is a 1:52.8 from Short Course juniors, but the components indicate that he's not max'ed out in that race. Among other pieces that fit well there are a 45.77 in the 100 free and a 1:38.7 in the 200.