JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman swim team has announced the signing of three new recruits during the program's spring signing period.
Casey Charles, Claudia Carroll and Laurel Sankowski have all agreed to join the program and will begin their careers in Mossy Creek in the fall of 2017. Charles hails from Tennessee, Carroll will be coming from Georgia and Sankowski is originally from North Carolina.
Casey Charles – Mount Juliet, Tenn. – Heritage Christian Academy
Charles spent the previous four years swimming for Heritage Christian Academy. During his time with the Eagles, he was a two-time Tennessee High School State Swimming Championship A finalist. He also recorded multiple top eight finishes in several trips to the Southeastern Swimming Championships and is his high school's record holder in the 200 and 500 freestyle. Charles earned a spot on the Southeastern Swimming Zone all-star team, being named team captain in 2015 and 2016, and he swam for the Nashville Aquatic Club travel team from 2015-16.
The son of Steve and Mary Jane Charles, Casey is a native of Mount Juliet, Tenn. and is set to major in finance during his time at Mossy Creek. He chose Carson-Newman despite overtures from the University of Tennessee, Birmingham-Southern College and Trinity University. He was born on Oct. 10th, 1998.
Taylor on Charles: "Casey is someone we've been in contact with since last summer. He's a very strong distance athlete and he'll add a lot of depth to our already strong distance program. He brings a passion for academics and athletics. He'll help this program continue to get it done both in the pool and in the classroom."
Claudia Carroll – Atlanta, Ga. – Decatur High School
For Carroll, she comes to Jefferson City via Decatur High School, where she swam the breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. She was a two-time state finalist in the 100 breast and also qualified for the state championships in the 50 free and as a member of her school's 200 and 400 medley relay teams. In 2016, Carroll was a 2016 All-American Senior State LC Championships finalist in the 50 and 100 breaststrokes.
Carroll was born to Bob and Liz Carroll on March 11th, 1999. She intends on majoring in Exercise Science at C-N. In addition to swimming, she was a competitive gymnast for 13 years and was a Georgia state champion at several levels of junior gymnastics. She was also recruited by Birmingham Southern, UNC Asheville, Gardner Webb and Wingate.
Taylor on Carroll: "She's a breaststroke swimmer, someone after my own heart, being a breaststroker myself. We met her during our meet in Knoxville and there was a great connection from the first time I spoke with her. She's been on campus already and loves it here, loves the team. She plans on coming back in the summer to join the team early. Claudia brings a lot of potential that I'm excited to tap into and she has a passion for academics as well as athletics."
Laurel Sankowski – Indian Trail, N.C. – Metrolina Christian Academy
After specializing in sprint freestyle and fly at Metrolina High School, Laurel Sankowksi made the decision to sign on with Carson-Newman. She was 3rd in the NCISAA state championships in the 100 fly and 6th in the 100 free while also garnering all-conference selections in the 100 fly, 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay. Sankowski also spent time with SwimMac Carolina, one of the top swim clubs in the United States.
Laurel is the daughter of Alex and Lisa Sankowksi and will be studying Graphic Design and Film. She is following in the footsteps of her father, Alex, who was a college athlete at USC-Aiken, where he played soccer and baseball. She chose Carson-Newman over Campbell University and Savannah College of Art and Design. Sankowksi was born on July 21st, 1999.
Taylor on Sankowski: "We've also been in contact with Laurel since last summer. Jamie Graves did a great job recruiting her. She's very friendly and comes from a great family. She was looking for a small Christian school and really fits the profile of an athlete we want here. Laurel is a sprint freestyler and has a very bright future. I'm looking forward to adding another sprinter to our side and having her challenge some of our current athletes."
For news and updates regarding Mossy Creek's swim team, visit cneagles.com and follow @cnathletics on Twitter.
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