Swimming: WVU Adds Nugent to Recruiting Class
April 24, 2009 01:57 PM | General
April 24, 2009
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men’s and women’s swimming and diving Coach Vic Riggs has announced the signing of the United Kingdom’s second ranked 200-meter butterfly swimmer, Amanda Nugent, for the 2009-10 school year.
“I am very pleased to have Amanda joining an already very strong incoming class,” Riggs said. “Amanda is a very talented swimmer and West Virginia is fortunate to have her. We look forward to her contributing on BIG EAST and NCAA levels.”
A native of Irlam, Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, Nugent is a five-year qualifier for the British Nationals and British Championships, where the Olympic trials are held. Nugent finished in fifth place at the 2009 championships in the 200-meter butterfly and has been selected for Britain’s London 2012 Olympics target squad.
“I am really looking forward to training over at WVU and meeting my new teammates,” Nugent said. “It would be amazing to qualify for the NCAAs in my first year and all of the coaches at WVU have already been so supportive of me.”
Nugent has been swimming for Coach John Stout with the City of Salford swim club and was the Salford Sports Achiever of the Year in 2008.
Despite swimming long course meters, Nugent has also had success in short course meters where she set the English Schools short course record for the senior age group in the 100-meter butterfly, a record that previously had stood since 1982.
“It will be an adjustment from competing long course to 25 yards, but I am always up for a challenge,” Nugent said. “I will do my best to make the WVU coach, as well as my home coach, proud.”
Nugent also holds the record for W.I.S.E. (Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England) Schools International in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly and has competed for England at the schools international for the past three years.
West Virginia finished this past season with four NCAA qualifiers and the women placed in fifth at the BIG EAST Championships with the men placing fourth. Nugent joins six other females and four males as part of the 2009-10 recruiting class.
