The 2011-2012 recruiting class has been a really strange one, overall. We've seen very good swimmers coming out of very unusual places (Mississippi, Wyoming, and even Kuwait); a Georgia men's team that's signed more swimmers than a scholarship limit seems like it should allow; a huge influx of Canadian women; and big-time talent signing at Division II Universities.
First, a top-20 women's recruit Mariya Chekanovych signed with pending Division II Canadian University Simon Fraser, though there's a close family connection. The latest is that Division II school Grand Canyon University has signed Jack Feely to a letter of intent. He's the top-rated recruit out of New Mexico, which many years wouldn't say much but this season is pretty significant.
Feely is a middle-distance freestyler with bests of 1:40.84 (in altitude) and 4:29.97 in the 200 and 500 freestyles. That 500 time is going to be a huge difference maker for the Lopes, as it would already crush the school record by 6 seconds and put him into the A-Final at the NCAA Championships.
The Phoneix schools is one of the top Division II programs in the country, and finished 5th at the 2012 Division II NCAA Championships.