Men's swimming and diving adds 10 newcomers

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Sign 10 for 2024-25 Season

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU men's swimming and diving has added 10 swimmers to its 2024-25 roster, head coach Greg Rhodenbaugh announced on Thursday.

Seven of the signees join SMU as freshmen, while three enter as transfers, with two boasting experience at power-conference institutions.

The swimmers join heralded diver Luke Sitz to complete SMU's class of 2024. Sitz was announced as a Mustang in December and recently earned two top-four finishes at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

During the 2023-24 campaign, the Mustangs claimed the ASUN conference championship and placed 18th during the NCAA Championships, the highest finish since 2008. SMU is set to compete in the ACC beginning this fall after the conference had seven programs place in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships, with new additions Cal and Stanford also placing in the top 10.

Information on the 10 newest Mustangs can be found below.

Jack Berube | Dallas, Texas | Freestyle / Backstroke
Berube joins the Mustangs as a transfer from Virginia. In high school, he competed at Woodrow Wilson where he holds seven school records and was a two-time Texas State Championships medalist in the 200 free and a silver medalist in the 100 free. The Dallas, Texas, native also competed at the 2019 National Junior Olympics and was selected for the Olympic Development Program. Berube's parents, Ryan and Michele, are 1997 graduates of SMU.

Louie Fasani | Rocklin, Calif. | Backstroke / Butterfly
Fasani is set to be a freshman for SMU this fall competing in the backstroke and butterfly. He swam competitively for Wolverine Aquatics Club and Swim Sierra and qualified for the U.S. Open while in high school.

Laszlo Galicz | Budapest, Hungary |Distance Freestyle
Galicz joins the Mustangs from Budapest, Hungary, and boasts experience on the world stage as a distance swimmer. He placed second in the 4x1500 free relay during the 2022 World Junior Swimming Championships and 2019 and 2021 European Championships. He swam club for Ferencvarosi Torna Club and was named the club's best male swimmer in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Eli Likins | Texarkana, Texas |Freestyle / Backstroke
Likins will be a freshman at SMU this fall after a successful career swimming for Texas High School where he holds six school records. He placed second at the Texas 5A State Championships in the 200 free and 100 back and advanced to the finals of the 200 free during Winter Junior Nationals. The Texarkana, Texas, native was tabbed Regional Swimmer of the Year in 2024 and is a three-time District Swimmer of the Year honoree.

Ewan Lonergan | Los Gatos, Calif. |Breaststroke
Lonergan is set to join the Mustangs following a successful high school career. During the 2023 Winter Junior Nationals, he placed eighth in the 200 LCM and was named Los Gatos High School swimming MVP in 2022 and 2023.

Ben Longeway | Lake Forest, Ill. |Freestyle / Butterfly / IM
Longeway comes to the Hilltop after a very successful career at Lake Forest High School, leaving with three school records. During the 2024 Illinois Senior State Championships, he was runner-up in the 400 IM and placed 10th in the 200 fly at the 2023 Illinois State Championships. He earned a school MVP honor and was named as an All-State academic honoree during his junior and senior seasons. The Lake Forest, Ill., native also qualified for Junior Nationals in 2023.

Michael Ripper | St Albans, United Kingdom | Sprint Freestyle
Ripper joins the Mustangs after competing for four seasons at Loughborough University in England. He claimed a bronze medal in the 200 free at the British Universities Championships in addition to being a member of gold-medal winning 200, 400 and 800 free relay squads. Ripper represented Great Britain at the 2023 World Aquatics World Cup along with competing at the British Olympic Trials.

Eric Stelmar | Mansfield, Texas | Backstroke
Stelmar arrives in Dallas after spending four seasons at Alabama where he qualified for finals at the SEC Championships each year with the Crimson Tide. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he earned a spot at the NCAA Championships and was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll and CSCAA Scholar All-American team member. Stelmar qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 100 and 200 back. The Mansfield, Texas, native competed at Legacy High School where he was a Texas 5A State Champion in the 100 back.

Cameron Thompson | Johannesburg, South Africa | Freestyle / Butterfly
Thompson is set to be a freshman at SMU as a native of Johannesburg, South Africa. He placed second in the 50 back and third in the 50 fly along with winning gold in the 200 free, 400 free and 400 medley relays during the 2022 African Region V Youth Games. Thompson earned several awards while attending St Stithians Boys College and earned club awards for top male freestyle and backstroke swimmer in back-to-back seasons.

Joe Umhofer | Bethesda, Md. | Breaststroke / IM
Umhofer comes to the Hilltop after a successful career at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., where he claimed 11 school records. He earned a spot at the U.S. Open and placed second at the WMPSSDL Championships. The Bethesda, Md., native advanced to an A Final at the NCSA Championships and was named a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American. Umhofer earned a spot on the MAC All-Conference Team three times in his high school career along with being named St. Andrew's MVP three times.

[Water Pony]

Delighted to see these recruits commit to SMU. The list is well rounded by their individual accomplishments and events. You can expect that all will improve, likely substantially, under Coach Rhodenbaugh tutelage. Greg's ability to raise performances has been a hallmark for us.

BTW, Ben Longeway | Lake Forest, Ill. |Freestyle / Butterfly / IM is from our local high school. Very cool.