SEATTLE — Seattle U swimming and head coach Craig Nisgor proudly announced seven additions to the men's program for the 2020-21 season. The seven-member class included Blaise Achecar, Mark Blankey, Noa Copp, Michael Luna, Parker Wichelmann, Ryan Reid and James Sanchez.
"We have a great incoming class for this upcoming year," said Nisgor. "They have an incredible amount of talent and we are excited to get them on campus and have them join us. The group of them have really taken a lot of time to realize that Seattle University is the right fit for them both academically and athletically and are ready to be Redhawks."
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Achecar was a four-time letterwinner and senior captain at The Lovett School in Atlanta. He appeared in four state meets and during the 2020 Georgia State Championship, posted personal-bests in the 50 free (23.72) and 200 free (1:51.98). Achecar also was a three-time member of the water polo team, helping the Lion's to state title in 2020 en route to earning first team all-state honors.
A native of Walnut Creek, Calif., Blankley was a four-time letterwinner at Northgate HS where he specialized in the freestyle and butterfly events. In December, Blankley set three personal-best marks in the 100 free (50.04), 200 free (1:46.78) and 500 free (4:49), while competing at the 2019 Husky Invitational.
CN: Blaise and Mark are coming will add continued depth in our freestyle events. They both have seen a lot of improvement over the past year and a half and we are ready to see them continue to improve.
A multiple varsity letterwinner at Kamehameha Schools and a four-time Hawaii state meet qualifier, Copp was ranked fourth among Hawaiian swimmers by SwimCloud. A native of Mililani, Copp placed fourth in the 50 free (21.41) and fifth in the 100 free (46.94) during the 2020 Hawaii HS State Championship, before claiming the top-spot in the 50 (21.02) and 100 (46.00) free while competing at the Hawaiian Swimming Age Group Long Course State Championships in February.
CN: Noa is ranked at the 847th-nationally in the class of 2020 and comes in with times that are just off our top 10 list in both the 50 and 100. His times over the past two years have dropped significantly and he has been developing quickly.
A native of Henderson, Nevada, Luna was a four-time letterwinner at Coronada HS and listed 11th-overall in Nevada by SwimCloud/CollegeSwimming.com. As a junior in 2019, Luna won a regional title in the 100 free before claiming silver (47.55) at the NIAA 3A & 4A State Championship. During the 2020 Speedo Champions Series in Carlsbad, Luna registered five personal-best marks.
CN: Michael comes in as the 758th-ranked swimmer in the class of 2020 on CollegeSwimming.com. He visited in January and we knew that he would be a great fit. Right after he committed in February he swam times in the 1650 that would be among the top five in school-history as well as a time in the 500 that would rank eighth on the all-time on our performance list. He has times that would rank top 10 in the 1000 (third) and 400 IM (10th).
Wichelmann was a three-time varsity letterwinner at Tahoma HS and named the team's MVP in 2018 and 2020. A native of Maple Valley, Wash., Wichelmann, who is ranked 33rd in the state by SwimCloud, registered personal-bests in the 100 fly (51.31) and 200 free (1:43.75) during the 2020 WIAA 4A State Championship.
A native of the Shoreline, Wash., Reid swam the free and backstroke during a four-year career at Shorewood HS, that saw him win the 2018-19 Coaches' Award before serving as team captain last season. Reid also competed for South Snohomish County Dolphins and more recently the Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club.
Sanchez joins the Redhawks after a successful career at Central Kitsap HS, which included all-state honors and a four-consecutive trips to the WIAA 3A State Championships. A native of Silverdale, Wash., Sanchez is ranked 45th among Washington state swimmers and set the Cougars' school record in the 100 fly (51.08). Specializing in the butterfly events, he also competed for Bainbridge Island Swim Club.
CN: I'm also very happy to add three local swimmers as well. Parker will add depth in the free and fly events, while Ryan will contribute in the mid-distance free with James making us deeper in the fly and back respectively. All three have also seen great drops over the past two years and we are fortunate that they choose Seattle U as they will be great contributors.