Completed Event: Swimming & Diving versus Navy on January 24, 2026 , Loss , 146, to, 153
S-D
Final
James Madison
146
vs Navy
153
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Swimming And Diving Signs Nine In Early Period
12/8/2016 11:12:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison swimming and diving and Head Coach Dane Pedersen announced the signing of nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. The group of incoming freshman will join the program for the 2017-18 season.
"I want to first thank and commend Jacy [Dyer], John [Wolsh] and the entire team on their recruiting efforts," Pedersen said. "There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in recruiting, and it takes a team effort to sign a class this size and this talented."
Five swimmers will join the Dukes for the 2017-18 season. The incoming Dukes look to fill holes in JMU's overall rotation of events and have competed at the highest level over their high school careers.
"On the swimming side, we targeted some specific area of need and couldn't be more excited about the five swimmers who have committed," Pedersen said. "They are all going to make a strong impact and also are absolutely the type of person we look for in the recruiting process."
Of the nine signees, four student-athletes will join the diving program as the group boast an impressive resume that includes all-state and all-conference honors as well as state championships.
"We are very excited to have signed four outstanding young ladies to dive with us next year," Diving Coach John Wolsh said. "I always look for great character first, and I feel we certainly have that. They all happen to be very good athletes with great upsides."
"I am also extremely excited about the number of divers already committed," Pedersen added. "Diving has always been a focus and strong suit at JMU. In his first semester coaching at JMU, John has hit the ground running and done an excellent job building our diving roster numbers. I know with his expertise, all four of these young ladies are going to improve and have an impact for our team."
Name: Faith Anderson
Height: 5-4
Hometown / High School: East Palestine, Ohio / East Palestine High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the East Palestine diving program… Three-time state qualifier with a personal-best finish of ninth during her junior season… Earned All-Ohio honors her sophomore and junior seasons… Tallied a personal-best score of 436.70 on the 3-meter dive her junior season… Academically is a member of the President National Honor Society and President Rotary Interact… Also is a member of the Youngstown Area Diving Academy where she is a three-time AAU National Qualifier and earned AAU All-American honors in the 3-meter dive.
Name: Paige Assaid
Height: 5-5
Hometown / High School: Roanoke, Va. / Cave Spring High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Cave Spring swimming program… Four-time All-Timesland First Team honoree… Won seven state titles over her career: 200 medley and 400 free relays as a freshman, sophomore and junior and the 100 backstroke as a junior.
Name: Bailey Butler
Height: 5-0
Hometown / High School: Richmond, Va. / Deep Run High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Deep Run swimming program, competing in distance events… Two-time Virginia All-State team and Richmond All-Metro team honoree… Back-to-back USA Swimming Scholastic All-American selections her sophomore and junior seasons… Academically is a member of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society.
Name: Julianna Jones
Height: 5-10
Hometown / High School: Lanexa, Va. / New Kent High School
Career Highlights: Four-year letterwinnner for the New Kent swimming program… competes in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle… serves as the captain of the swim program… Two-time Virginia state champion… also competes for Poseidon Swimming in Richmond, Va.
Name: Anna Ober
Height: 5-7
Hometown / High School: Fairfax, Va. / Fairfax High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Fairfax swimming program and is serving as team captain over her senior season… Three-time Most Valuable Player honoree for the program… Three-time WaPo Winter All-Met Honorable Mention… Liberty All-Conference First Team honoree as a junior… placed ninth in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the state championships as a freshman… Earned third and ninth place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle, respectively, as a sophomore at the state championships… Clocked personal-best times during her junior season in the 50 (23.62) and 100 (51.79) freestyle… recorded fourth and 11th place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle, respectively, as a junior at the state championships… Academically, earned the 2016 Harvard Book Award and was named a PVS Scholar Athlete in 2014 and 2016... Also was named a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American in 2015.
Name: Amy Plocharczyk
Height: 5-3
Hometown / High School: Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville Community High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Zionsville diving program… Earned back-to-back, ninth-place finishes at regionals her freshman and sophomore seasons… Also dove for Ripfest Diving.
Name: Sarah Stim
Height: 5-4
Hometown / High School: Doylestown, Pa. / Central Bucks High School West
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Central Bucks diving program, serving as the team captain over her senior season… Two-time all-conference honoree… Two-time PIAA District and State qualifier, placing 11th at the PIAA State Championship her sophomore season… 2014-2015 All-District selection… Academically is a member of the National Honor Society… Also dove for TNT Diving and Fanny Champman Diving… Father, Andrew Stim, was a member of the Drexel diving program.
Name: Samantha Ullman
Height: 5-7
Hometown / High School: Mahwah, N.J. / Mahwah High School
Career Highlights: Four-year letterwinnner for the Mahwah diving program… also competed for the High Dive Champions in Purchas, N.Y. … Two-sport varsity athlete as she is also a member of the Thunderbirds' soccer team… From a family of swimmers and divers as her father, Neal Ullman, swam at East Caroline and Albany Universities, her sister, Danielle Ullman, dove for West Point and her mother, Jennifer Ullman, was a member of the James Madison diving program in 1982.
Name: Madeline Yoos
Height: 5-9
Hometown / High School: Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper St. Clair High School
Career Highlights: Four-year letterwinnner for the Upper St. Clair swimming program and specializes in the breaststroke… swam the breaststroke leg as a junior in the WPIAL 200 medley relay as Upper St. Clair placed first in the event… Clocked a time of 1:03.99 in the 100 breaststroke as a junior at the WPIAL… As a sophomore, helped the 200 medley relay team to a second-place finish at the WPIAL… Individually, placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.04) and competed in the 200 individual medley (2:09.78) at the WPIAL her sophomore season… Placed second in the state championship as part of Upper St. Clair's 200 medley relay team as a sophomore… Helped Upper St. Clair to a third-place finish in the 200 medley while finishing sixth in the 100 breast (1:04.99) at the WPIAL her freshman season… Also placed ninth in the state championship in the 100 breaststroke her freshman season… Academically, she is a four-year staple on the Upper St. Clair Honor Roll… Sister, Emily Yoos, is a freshman swimmer at John Carol University.
James Madison diving rounds out the 2016 slate of the schedule with the USA Diving Winter National Championship in Columbus, Ohio. Competition is slated for Thursday, Dec. 15 through Sunday, Dec. 18. Both swimming and diving will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14 at noon with dual competition at Richmond.
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"I want to first thank and commend Jacy [Dyer], John [Wolsh] and the entire team on their recruiting efforts," Pedersen said. "There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in recruiting, and it takes a team effort to sign a class this size and this talented."
Five swimmers will join the Dukes for the 2017-18 season. The incoming Dukes look to fill holes in JMU's overall rotation of events and have competed at the highest level over their high school careers.
"On the swimming side, we targeted some specific area of need and couldn't be more excited about the five swimmers who have committed," Pedersen said. "They are all going to make a strong impact and also are absolutely the type of person we look for in the recruiting process."
Of the nine signees, four student-athletes will join the diving program as the group boast an impressive resume that includes all-state and all-conference honors as well as state championships.
"We are very excited to have signed four outstanding young ladies to dive with us next year," Diving Coach John Wolsh said. "I always look for great character first, and I feel we certainly have that. They all happen to be very good athletes with great upsides."
"I am also extremely excited about the number of divers already committed," Pedersen added. "Diving has always been a focus and strong suit at JMU. In his first semester coaching at JMU, John has hit the ground running and done an excellent job building our diving roster numbers. I know with his expertise, all four of these young ladies are going to improve and have an impact for our team."
Name: Faith Anderson
Height: 5-4
Hometown / High School: East Palestine, Ohio / East Palestine High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the East Palestine diving program… Three-time state qualifier with a personal-best finish of ninth during her junior season… Earned All-Ohio honors her sophomore and junior seasons… Tallied a personal-best score of 436.70 on the 3-meter dive her junior season… Academically is a member of the President National Honor Society and President Rotary Interact… Also is a member of the Youngstown Area Diving Academy where she is a three-time AAU National Qualifier and earned AAU All-American honors in the 3-meter dive.
Name: Paige Assaid
Height: 5-5
Hometown / High School: Roanoke, Va. / Cave Spring High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Cave Spring swimming program… Four-time All-Timesland First Team honoree… Won seven state titles over her career: 200 medley and 400 free relays as a freshman, sophomore and junior and the 100 backstroke as a junior.
Name: Bailey Butler
Height: 5-0
Hometown / High School: Richmond, Va. / Deep Run High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Deep Run swimming program, competing in distance events… Two-time Virginia All-State team and Richmond All-Metro team honoree… Back-to-back USA Swimming Scholastic All-American selections her sophomore and junior seasons… Academically is a member of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society.
Name: Julianna Jones
Height: 5-10
Hometown / High School: Lanexa, Va. / New Kent High School
Career Highlights: Four-year letterwinnner for the New Kent swimming program… competes in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle… serves as the captain of the swim program… Two-time Virginia state champion… also competes for Poseidon Swimming in Richmond, Va.
Name: Anna Ober
Height: 5-7
Hometown / High School: Fairfax, Va. / Fairfax High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Fairfax swimming program and is serving as team captain over her senior season… Three-time Most Valuable Player honoree for the program… Three-time WaPo Winter All-Met Honorable Mention… Liberty All-Conference First Team honoree as a junior… placed ninth in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the state championships as a freshman… Earned third and ninth place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle, respectively, as a sophomore at the state championships… Clocked personal-best times during her junior season in the 50 (23.62) and 100 (51.79) freestyle… recorded fourth and 11th place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle, respectively, as a junior at the state championships… Academically, earned the 2016 Harvard Book Award and was named a PVS Scholar Athlete in 2014 and 2016... Also was named a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American in 2015.
Name: Amy Plocharczyk
Height: 5-3
Hometown / High School: Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville Community High School
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Zionsville diving program… Earned back-to-back, ninth-place finishes at regionals her freshman and sophomore seasons… Also dove for Ripfest Diving.
Name: Sarah Stim
Height: 5-4
Hometown / High School: Doylestown, Pa. / Central Bucks High School West
Career Highlights: Four-year varsity letterwinner for the Central Bucks diving program, serving as the team captain over her senior season… Two-time all-conference honoree… Two-time PIAA District and State qualifier, placing 11th at the PIAA State Championship her sophomore season… 2014-2015 All-District selection… Academically is a member of the National Honor Society… Also dove for TNT Diving and Fanny Champman Diving… Father, Andrew Stim, was a member of the Drexel diving program.
Name: Samantha Ullman
Height: 5-7
Hometown / High School: Mahwah, N.J. / Mahwah High School
Career Highlights: Four-year letterwinnner for the Mahwah diving program… also competed for the High Dive Champions in Purchas, N.Y. … Two-sport varsity athlete as she is also a member of the Thunderbirds' soccer team… From a family of swimmers and divers as her father, Neal Ullman, swam at East Caroline and Albany Universities, her sister, Danielle Ullman, dove for West Point and her mother, Jennifer Ullman, was a member of the James Madison diving program in 1982.
Name: Madeline Yoos
Height: 5-9
Hometown / High School: Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper St. Clair High School
Career Highlights: Four-year letterwinnner for the Upper St. Clair swimming program and specializes in the breaststroke… swam the breaststroke leg as a junior in the WPIAL 200 medley relay as Upper St. Clair placed first in the event… Clocked a time of 1:03.99 in the 100 breaststroke as a junior at the WPIAL… As a sophomore, helped the 200 medley relay team to a second-place finish at the WPIAL… Individually, placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.04) and competed in the 200 individual medley (2:09.78) at the WPIAL her sophomore season… Placed second in the state championship as part of Upper St. Clair's 200 medley relay team as a sophomore… Helped Upper St. Clair to a third-place finish in the 200 medley while finishing sixth in the 100 breast (1:04.99) at the WPIAL her freshman season… Also placed ninth in the state championship in the 100 breaststroke her freshman season… Academically, she is a four-year staple on the Upper St. Clair Honor Roll… Sister, Emily Yoos, is a freshman swimmer at John Carol University.
James Madison diving rounds out the 2016 slate of the schedule with the USA Diving Winter National Championship in Columbus, Ohio. Competition is slated for Thursday, Dec. 15 through Sunday, Dec. 18. Both swimming and diving will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 14 at noon with dual competition at Richmond.
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