June 1, 1998
Head Coach Jim Reitz announced Monday that UNLV has signed six more swimmers to letters of intent in addition to the three signed during the early-signing period. Four female athletes and two male athletes will join the team for the 1998-99 season. Ericka Korb, Whitney Phelps, Lorena Diaconescu, Madalina Tin, David Schick and Michael Short will all be on campus next fall and join Dana Penn, Tera Sherard and Hailey Nance, who were recruited in November.
Korb is currently a senior at Xavier College Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona. A versatile athlete, she specializes in the IM and breaststroke events and earned All-American consideration in the 200 IM, she has finished as high as third place at junior nationals and as high as eighth at seniors. Phelps comes to UNLV from Baltimore, Maryland where she competes with the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. A butterflier, Phelps has won numerous accolades in he 100 and 200-meter events, including a sixth place finish in the 200 butterfly at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. She has been a member of the United State Swimming National Team since 1994 and was a member of the junior national team prior to that. She has ranked as high as third in the world in the 200-meter butterfly. Diaconescu is a freestyle specialist from Bucharest, Romania with a wealth of international experience. She most recently placed 12th in the World Championship in Goteborg in the 200 free and was also a member of the Romanian freestyle relay team that placed 7th at the Atlanta Olympics. Tin also comes to Las Vegas from Bucharest, where she is a breaststroke specialist. Last year she was the silver medalist for the 100 breast and established a new national record for the 50 breast.
The Rebels joining the men's team are David Schick and Michael Short. Schick, a butterfly specialist, hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a participant in the junior nationals in both March and July of last year. Short is considered to be a sprint/freestyler out of San Jose, California. He earned All-American consideration in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 butterfly and his 200 freestyle relay time was given automatic All-American status.
Says Head Coach Jim Reitz, "We are very excited at the prospect of next year's incoming recruits. We feel they will be able to come in and make an immediate impact on the team."
