Eight Join Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
July 5, 2011
Columbus, Ohio –
The Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team has signed five individuals to National Letters of Intent to attend The Ohio State University and compete intercollegiately with the program.
Swimming coach Bill Dorenkott announced six newcomers – Lauren Davis, from Austin, Texas; Makena Lynch, from Cranberry Township, Pa.; Jordan Moxley, from Cortland, Ohio; Kelly Titus, from Bowling Green, Ohio; Ashley Vance, from Kingwood, Texas; and Taylor Waggoner, from Fremont, Ohio – will be joining the Buckeyes, and diving coach Vince Panzano announced that Kellie Carmendy, from Powell, Ohio, and Taylor Ford, from Ann Arbor, Mich., have also signed with Ohio State and will be freshman divers for the Buckeyes this season.
Biographical information on the newest Buckeyes:
Lauren Davis
§ Austin, Texas
§ Westwood High School
§ Club Team: Nitro Swimming; Coach Tim O’Brien
Lauren is a Senior National qualifier in the 200 backstroke … she was a Junior National finalist in the 200 back at winters held at Ohio State … Lauren is a two-time scholastic All-American … she earned Texas all-state recognition in four events at the state high school championships both her junior and senior seasons … Lauren is the daughter of Robyn and Scott Davis … she has a sister, Natalie.
Coach Bill Dorenkott: “Lauren comes highly recommended by her club coach, Tim O’Brien. Lauren visited with us officially in the fall, then came back on an unofficial visit with her mom in the spring. The team really gelled with Lauren and was thrilled when she made the decision to become a Buckeye. Lauren is coming to Ohio State with an agenda in the pool – that is music to the coaches’ ears.”
Makena Lynch
§ Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
§ Seneca Valley High School
§ Club Team: Seneca Valley Swim Club; Coach Jerry Koller
Makena was a three-time PIAA qualifier at Seneca Valley, winning four varsity letters … an outstanding leader, she was a two-year team captain as well … she was an eight-time WPIAL medalist during her prep career … four-year Scholar-Athlete … Makena is the daughter of Scott and Diane Lynch … her older sister, Megan, is an Ohio State student.
Coach Bill Dorenkott: “I received one of the nicest letters of recommendation ever on a student-athlete’s behalf from Makena’s coach Jerry Koller. We have a soft spot for high achievers who are also total team players. Based upon that recommendation and Makena’s demonstrated desire to become a Buckeye, we were comfortable in providing her with a roster spot. She has a great opportunity to forge a path for future Keystone State student-athletes to follow.”
Jordan Moxley
§ Cortland, Ohio
§ Maplewood High School
§ Club Team: Warren Harding Aquatics; Coach Frank Supancic
Jordan is a 2009-10 National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-American … called an “athlete/sprint freestyler” by Dorenkott, she was the 2011 Ohio Division II 50 free champion (23.51) after finishing as runner-up the year before … she is an eight-time all-Ohio swimmer … Jordan has three Ohio state championships in the high jump to her credit … she also competed in the 100 hurdles at the state meet … Jordan is secretary of the National Honor Society … a lifelong Buckeye from a family of Buckeyes, Jordan is the daughter of Cheri and Chuck Moxley … she has an older brother, Tyler … father was a three-year wrestling letterman at Ohio State (1981-83) an uncle, Don, was a Big Ten champion (1985) wrestler for the Buckeyes and another uncle, Tim, was a four-year football letterman from 1986-89.
Coach Bill Dorenkott: “We started building a relationship with Jordan during her sophomore year. The big question for Jordan was whether she would pursue track or swimming collegiately. Once, she chose swimming we felt strongly that her athleticism and potential were limitless and we would love to be a part of her continued development in the pool. The Moxley name casts a long and storied shadow within Ohio State athletics. We cautioned Jordan to look elsewhere unless she believed that she could forge her own identity as a Buckeye. Choosing Ohio State speaks to Jordan’s love for the university and her desire to make a difference.”
Kelly Titus
§ Bowling Green, Ohio
§ Bowling Green High School
§ Club Team: Bowling Green Aquatics; Coaches Gary Layne and Carolyn Strunk
Kelly is a transfer from the University of Kentucky … her specialties are the IM and breaststroke … 2009 All-American and all-academic competitor … her top times are: 2:02.42 in the 200 IM; 4:18.14 in the 400 IM; and 2:18.57 in the 200 breast … a Senior Nationals qualifier, she was a four-year all-Ohio and all-district swimmer at Bowling Green High … she was a member of the National Honor Society … she also ran cross country as a freshman … Kelly is the daughter of Jeanne and Phil Titus … she has three siblings: Ben, Christy and Shannon.
Coach Bill Dorenkott: “We had recruited Kelly the first time around out of high school and felt very strongly about her on multiple levels. She is really on-task as it relates to being a complete student-athlete. We believe Kelly will add a great deal to our University and program both academically and athletically.”
Ashley Vance
§ Kingwood, Texas
§ The Baylor School; Coach Dan Flack
§ Club Team: Baylor Swim Club; Coach Dan Flack
Ashley, a breaststroke and individual medley specialist, is from Texas, but she swims for the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn. … she was the 2010 Tennessee state swimmer of the year after leading Baylor to the team title … she was the Tennessee state champion in the 200 individual medley with a state-record time of 2:00.90 and in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.20, a time that is fifth-fastest nationally for 17-year-olds) … she also swam on state champion 200 free and 200 medley relay teams … has long course bests of 2:22.44 and 4:21.83 in the 200 and 400 IM’s, respectively, and 1:11.7 and 2:37.3 in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events … a Swimming World four-star recruit, Vance is a two time National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-American … she competed in August at the ConocoPhillips U.S. National Championships in Irvine, Calif. … the daughter of Joel and Terri Vance, Ashley has two sisters, Megan and Brooke.
Coach Bill Dorenkott: “Ashley Vance has the ability to be a very special athlete at Ohio State. When you combine her passion for the sport, willingness to grow and dynamic personality it was a no-brainer from our end to ask her to be a part of our future. Ashley comes highly recommended from Dan Flack (head coach at the Baylor School, who also coached Stefanie Williams as a former assistant coach at Georgia), whom we hold in very high regard. Ashley will be an Olympic Trial and NCAA competitor for the Buckeyes for years to come.”
Taylor Waggoner
§ Fremont, Ohio
§ Fremont Ross High School
§ Club Team: Sand Otter Swimming; Coach Phil Moran
Taylor brings three prep All-America honors with her to Ohio State … she set school records at Fremont Ross High in the 100 fly, medley relay, the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay … a four-time state qualifier, she earned Ohio all-state honors each year … Taylor was a four-time district champion in bothe the 100 fly and the 200 free relay … the daughter of Pat and Cindy Waggoner, she has an older brother John, who serves as a Navy Seal, and a younger sister, Morgan.
Coach Bill Dorenkott: “Taylor is a former Ohio State swim camper whom we have gotten to know over the past year. I was humbled when Taylor bypassed some nice financial packages at other universities, because she felt strongly about the unique opportunities for female engineering students at Ohio State, as well as a desire to challenge herself athletically while wearing the Scarlet and Gray.”
Kellie Carmendy
§ Powell, Ohio
§ Olentangy Liberty H.S.
§ Club Team: US Elite Diving Academy (Columbus, Ohio)
Kellie was the 2010 Ohio Division I state champion (1-meter) as a junior with a score of 418.65 points … helped team win the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division in 2009 and 2010, and the team finished 15th at the 2010 Ohio State meet … team also won sectionals both years … Kellie placed fourth at the state meet as a sophomore with 384.4 points … competed at the 2011 USA Diving Winter Nationals in Iowa City, Iowa.
Taylor Ford
§ Ann Arbor, Mich.
§ Saline H.S.
§ Club Team: Legacy Diving (Ypsilanti, Mich.)
Taylor captured the 2010 Michigan state championship as a senior with a winning score of 430.40 points … she came into the meet as the No. 1 ranked diver in the state after winning a regional title the week before … she led the state meet through the preliminary rounds and then nailed her final five dives for her first state championship … Taylor was runner-up at the Michigan state meet in 2008 as a sophomore (to current Ohio State freshman Cheyenne Cousineau) … choosing to work on developing her 3- and 10-meter diving skills with her club team, she did not compete for Saline High School as a junior … competed at the 2011 USA Diving Winter Nationals in Iowa City, Iowa.
