MIAMI (Jan. 7, 2019) - FIU swim and dive head coach Randy Horner announced the signing of six student-athletes that will join the roster in 2020.
"This group fills a lot of needs for our program moving forward," said Horner, "The balance of swimming and diving signees was one of our goals this year and we got that done. I expect to see each of these young ladies make an immediate impact on the team's success at the C-USA and NCAA level."
Mandy Song | Harbin, China
Song will join the Panthers from the diving board this spring and is scheduled to compete with the Panthers this spring. This past July at the World University Games Song took home the crown from the 1-meter diving board with a score of 258.35.
"Mandy is a legit contender for an NCAA Championship. Nick knocked it out of the park with Mandy, she will make our diving program even better very soon," said Horner.
Jasmine Nocentini | Padova, Italy
Joining the roster in Spring of 2020, Nocenitini is expected to start competing with the Panthers this spring. As a member of Team Vento in Italy, Nocentini achieved Top-5 finishes in all of her races at the Criteria Mazionalli Giovahill Kinder + Sport event.
"Jasmine will make an impact right away in our program. We are excited to be a part of her continued development as a swimmer at FIU," said Horner.
Alexa Lemus | Woodlands, Texas
Lemus most recently competed at the TISC 6A invite where she finished fourth with a score of 423.45 from the 1-meter diving board. In February of 2019, she was a finalist at the UIL Texas 6A State Championship where she achieved a seventh-place finish from the 1-meter with a score of 388.
"Alexa comes from a great diving program at The Woodlands. Her strong fundamentals give us a great base to develop Alexa to the next level." said Horner.
Sophie Hampson | Oviedo, Fla.
Hampson, a Florida native will join the FIU roster in the Fall of 2020. As a senior at Ovideo High school, Hampson most recently competed at the FYCF Winter Classic where she placed in the Top-10 in all the freestyle events. In the 50 free, she took ninth place with a time of 25.39. Her 100 free time of 55.32 snagged her a seventh-place finish. Hampson completed the 200 free in third with a time of 1:55.45 and landed second in the 500 free with her time of 1:55.45.
"Sophie's a distance specialist that will help us rebuild that area of our program. Her high school team (Oviedo H.S.) just won the Florida state championship and that experience will be valuable coming in to FIU next Fall," said Horner.
Haley Bujeda | Jacksonville Fla.
Bujeda, a naitve of Jacksonville, graduates from Bishop John Snyder High School this year and is expected to join the Panther family in Fall 2020. Most noteable was her performance at the FHSAA1 State Championship where she tallied 360.30 points from the 1-meter to secure a sixth-place finish. At the regional qualifier in October, Bujeda posted 391.60 points from the 1-meter and bolstered a fifth-place finish.
"Haley is an exciting diver with all the tools to be a factor at the C-USA Championship for FIU. She is one of the top talents from Florida and we are excited to have her join our swimming and diving family," said Horner.
Ellie Maradyn | Leduc county, Canada
As a member of the Cascade Swim Club in Canada, Maradyn brings an impressive resume. A six-time finalist at the Speedo Western Canadian Championships, Maradyn recently won the 1500 free event with a time of 17:49.70. She placed third in the 800 free (9:12.84) and finished the 400 free in fifth place (4:32.32).
"I knew right away that Ellie was a perfect fit for our program at FIU. She brings a very diverse range of events that will make us stronger as a team," said Horner.
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