UTRGV signs first 3 Vaqueros for  swimming and diving 

The UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced Thursday the signing of the first three members of the Swimming & Diving Team. 

The three swimmers are freshmen Ida Rudelius and Annaleagh Stahl and sophomore Chloe Siegrist, according to a news release. 

Rudelius focuses on butterfly and freestyle swimming and has times of 58.35 seconds in the 100-yard fly, 2:05.25 in the 200 fly, 54.45 in the 100 free, and 1:57.34 in the 200 free. 

Stahl, who is from Arlington, Virginia, competes in the backstroke and individual medley and has times of 56.80 in the 100-yard backstroke, 2:00.52 in the 200-yard backstroke, 2:09.67 in the 200-yard IM, and 4:26.93 in the 400-yard IM.

Siegrist, who is from the Houston suburb of Humble, focuses on long-distance and individual medley and she has achieved times of 18:16.48 in the 1,650 free and 5:01.70 in the 400 IM.

Swimming & Diving head Coach Betsy Graham said she was excited to start forming the first UTRGV Swimming & Diving Team.

“I’m very excited to just get this team together,” Graham said. “These three young ladies I got to know, Chloe swam for me already for a year at UTPB, so I’m excited to have her be a part of the team. She’s an extremely hard worker and she’s extremely good in the classroom as well.”

Graham said she was working with an international recruiter who suggested Rudelius, who is from Jönköping, Sweden.

She expects about five more recruits in the near future, but there are no set dates.

“We have a few walk-ons we’ll probably be announcing here in a bit,” Graham said. “And I’ve got a couple more, so we’re kind of putting everything together and now we have eight. We’re waiting on another young lady to say yes to make it nine total.” 

She said it felt good to be making history with the first program recruits.

“It feels good to get the first couple of young ladies set and ready to, you know, make history with this new program,” Graham said. “I’m excited to get it going. I wish we could get it going sooner.”

She said the first competition for the program is estimated to take place in October at home against the University of the Incarnate Word at the City of Pharr Natatorium.