Showalter, Bohunicky & Lehtonen Join the Gators
Thursday, November 20, 2008 | Women's Swimming & Diving
University of Florida head swimming and diving coach Gregg Troy announced the signing of three future Gator women's swimmers Thursday in Corinne Showalter, Jamie Bohunicky and Eva Lehtonen. The three women will join the Gators in Gainesville for the 2009-10 season.
“We couldn't be happier with our women's class,” Troy said of the trio. “We did exactly what we planned to do. After our large recruiting class last year, we pinpointed these three to fit our needs. We wanted a small class and it worked perfectly.”
After signing a class of 19 for the 2008-09 season, Troy and the Florida swimming and diving staff were aiming for specifics in the three future Gators. Two of the three signees, Showalter and Bohunicky, hail from Florida, while Lehtonen comes highly recommended from Rochester, Mich., where she trains with the Oakland Live Y'ers.
“We're fortunate to have the two best recruits out of the state of Florida and our one out-of-state swimmer will be a tremendous asset. All three will provide and instant impact and be big players in our overall plan,” Troy added.
Showalter, a Riverview High School senior, trains with the Sarasota YMCA Sharks in Sarasota and will bring her distance freestyle talent to Florida next August. A 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the 400 and 800-meter free events, Showalter is additionally a three-time high school state champion. Showalter's 500-yard free time (4:41.91) would have placed her in the A Finals at the 2008 NCAA Championships. The 2007 Female Swimmer of the Year, Showalter will also bring the Orange and Blue national swimming experience as a member of the U.S. 2007 Pan-American Games team, where she earned a bronze medal in the 400 free.
“Corinne is one of the five best distance freestylers in the country,” Troy said of Showalter. “As a multiple-time state champion and a member of the National Junior team, we feel like she has a tremendous future as a Gator.”
Bohunicky, a Gainesville native, won't be traveling far to further her swimming success. A Buchholz High School swimmer, Bohunicky trains with the Gator Swim Club in Gainesville. Bohunicky joined Showalter in Omaha, Neb., for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifying in the 100, 200 and 400-meter free events, as well as the 200-meter butterfly.
Bohunicky additionally boasts a resume full of state championships in the 100 and 200-yard free races – eight total in individual races and as a member of three state-champion relays. Additionally, Bohunicky garnered Gainesville Sun Swimmer of the Year accolades in both 2006 and 2007, while swimming on the Pinch-A-Penny All-State team. Most recently, Bohunicky finished seventh in the 200 free at the 2008 U.S. Open.
“Jamie is not only one of the top-five middle-distance swimmers in the country, but she has all of the freestyle events covered. She can swim the distance and sprint events, along with butterfly as well,” Troy said. “She's a local swimmer, so we know what we're getting. We feel like she's one of the next great ones. We see in both her and Corinne the same potential we saw in Caroline Burckle.”
Lehtonen will not only be joining the UF women's swimming squad next season, but she'll be joining her brother, current Gator freshman swimmer, John, at the University of Florida. Lehtonen will bring a wealth of international experience to the Gators as a 2008 Olympian for Finland. Lehtonen, who finished 33rd in the 800-meter free and 35th in the 400-meter free at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, holds five Finnish National Records. Among Lehtonen's records is a 1500 free record that dated back to 1983 before she re-established the mark at the 2007 U.S.A. Junior National meet.
“Eva was a member of the Finnish Olympic Team and she is a very good distance IM swimmer,” Troy said of the Olympian. “She comes highly recommended from her program in Michigan – a program that regularly produces some of the best swimmers.”
-UF-
