McCord adds eight to rosters during Fall signing period

Elizabeth Gitto

Posted: Jan 09, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman swim coach Paige McCord announced eight new additions to her swim teams Friday morning during the fall edition of National Signing Day.

McCord adds Alexandra Nuyianes, Eliza Peterson, Jacquelyn Stone and Olivia Winkler to the women's team and Tyler Graves, Seth Hughes, Josh Terrell and Josh Winn for the men.

The class is made up of two swimmers each from Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, while one swimmer apiece calls Kansas and Texas home. One state champion and seven school records are possessed by the newest batch of Eagles.

"On the men's side, I thought we had a critical need for some breaststrokers, also, a need for some sprint Fly and also some distance. Those were some of the needs we addressed," McCord said of the needs she sought for her team. "It is also important we bring in new talent. I'm excited with how strong our incoming class is."

Alexandra Nuyianes (Clearwater, Fla.) @alexnuyianes: Nuyianes, the daughter of Terri Nuyianes, will join the Eagles' swim team after last swimming at Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa, Fla and coach Bill Shaffer. She swims the Breaststroke and Individual Medley. At the Academy of the Holy Names, she: set the 200 IM school record and was a member of several relay records, finished top-eight at the state meet her junior and senior seasons and was swam in the finals of the state meet all four years. The Academy of the Holy Names Jaguars were the 2014 Florida Catholic State Champions with Nuyianes as a member. Academically, she was won the AP Scholar Award and the Leadership Award. Nuyianes intends to study Communications at Carson-Newman.

McCord on Nuyianes: "Specifically, what Alex was able to bring to the table was the Breaststroke, which is something that is a need for us every year at this point. Also, she has come capabilities in the IM and just an all-around talented young lady that knows what is like at the top-level and I'm glad she is on our team and can bring that experience to the incoming class of Eagles as well."

Eliza Petersen (Watkinsville, Ga.) @liza_peterson: Peterson, the daughter of Mark and Lorie Peterson, comes to Carson-Newman by way of North Oconee High School and coach Scott Burrell. While at North Oconee, she was a four-time swimming letter winner, a two-time GHSA Cross Country State Team member and a four-time state swimming qualifier. In the classroom, she was: a member of North Oconee's Beta Club and National Honor Society and the senior class Vice President. Peterson comes from an athletic family as her father, Mark, played football at The Citadel and her sister, Allie, swam at Gardner-Webb University. She will swim distance free for the Eagles and is undecided on her major.

McCord on Eliza: "She is another one with a contiguous attitude. I'm looking forward to seeing her also really develop and strengthen in the distance Free area, because we need some people who can be competitive in the 1000 and the mile. We are excited she is on board."

Jacquelyn Stone: (Hendersonville, Tenn.): Stone, the daughter of Marty and Cindy Stone, joins the Carson-Newman swim team after spending time at Beech High School. Stone played an integral role in the creation of her high school swim team and her coach was Abigail Anderson. She swims the free, fly and backstrokes. Some of her best times include: 100 Fly - 1:04.68, 200 Free - 2:04.49, 50 Free - 26.91, 100 Free - 58.59, 100 Back - 1:08.79. She has been named team MVP three times and she was also team captain. She was a regional, state and Southeastern qualifier. In high school, Stone took all honors classes and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Her father, Cindy, played basketball at Western Kentucky and was a member of the a Sweet 16 team during his senior season. She plans to major in Physical Therapy.

McCord on Jacquelyn: "I don't think I could say enough positive things about her and her attitude, which I think is really important on a swim team. You don't need just fast swimmers, you need people who are fast swimmers and have a great attitude, because what we do is so brutal on our bodies and brutal on our mind. We are looking forward to see her develop into a talented young lady for us."

Olivia Winkler (Marietta, Ga.): Winkler, the daughter of Beth and Brad Winkler, is a state championship-winning swimmer from Walton High School in Marietta, Ga. and was coached by Vernon and Sharon Loughran. As a Raider, Winkler has swum in the state championship meet and the state finals all four seasons. In 2014, Winkler and Walton High School won the State Championship and the Cobb County Championships. Academically, she has lettered in Academics during the 2013 and 2014 school years, she has made honor roll all four years and became a member of the National Society of High School Scholars in 2014.

McCord on Olivia: "Olivia is, much like some of the guys on the men's side, very talented in multiple areas. I would recruit her individually for just her Fly or just her Back or just her Breaststroke, so she is able to do the IM specifically, but also step up in lane five for our Breaststroke and Backstroke and Fly already as a freshman. That will be really strong for us."

Tyler Graves (Riverview, Fla.): Graves, the son of Dean and Melanie Graves, comes to Carson-Newman from Spoto High School in Riverview, Fla. Graves was the MVP of his school's team in 2012-13 and 2013-14. He was also named the team captain for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. He was the 2012 and 2013 Western Conference Champion in the 200 and 100 breaststroke. In 2013, Graves was the 2A District Champion in the 200 IM. At the FHSAA Championship, Graves placed: sixth in the 100 Breast and seventh in 200 IM. He was named to Florida Swimming Top 10 in 2013 and 2014. He plans to study Exercise Science at C-N.

McCord on Tyler: "It is an all-around talented young man. He does bring to the table strong Fly for us, but also options in the Freestyle and Breaststroke, which is a wonderful combination. I think what Tyler brings specifically is a passion for the sport and we are excited to have him on board."

Seth Hughes (Kingston, Tenn.) @SethHughz: Hughes, the son of Sarah Hughes, joins the Carson-Newman swim team by way of Midway High School but swims with nearby Oak Ridge High School. He swims the backstroke, freestyle and butterfly. During his swim career, he was qualified for sectionals and the NCSA Junior Nationals in the 100 Back and 50 Free. His great aunt, Rhonda Shields, played basketball for the Eagles in 1978-79.

McCord on Hughes: "Seth is a very talented young man, hasn't been swimming tremendously long and has already shown tremendous improvement and future potential being able to compete at some of the highest levels already."

Josh Terrell (Lawrence, Kan.): Terrell, the son of Lowell and Heather Terrell, will join the Carson-Newman family from Lawrence Free State High School in Lawrence, Kan. In high school, Terrell has been named an All-Metro, All-Conference, All-State and All-American during his swimming career. He swims the breaststroke and the individual medley. He has set the school record in the 200 Freestyle and the 200 IM. His high school coach is Annette McDonald. He is a member of the National Honor Society and was named a member of the USA Swimming 2013-14 Scholastic All-America Team. Terrell will study Exercise Science.

McCord on Josh: "He brings a lot in the Breaststroke, specifically in the 200 IM and the 400 IM. We are really thankful for Josh and what he brings specifically. I think one of the neatest things he brings is some of his interesting training experiences. He has done some of the U.S. RPT Training, which is a new fad recently. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to our training program. I know he will do very well for us."

Josh Winn (Round Rock, Texas) @joshwinnsalot: Winn, the son of Amy and Coy Winn, signs with Carson-Newman out of Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock, Texas. He swims distance freestyle and butterfly. During his time at Cedar Ridge, he set four school-records in the: mile Freestyle with a time of 16:44.11, 1000 Free (10:10.05), 500 Free (4:54.62) and 200 Fly (2:02.29). He is the captain of his school's water polo and swim teams. He is a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and is in the top two percent of his class. He is coached by David Partenheimer. He plans to study Biology (Pre-Med).

McCord on Josh: "He adds a tremendous amount of stability in our distance group. He also adds quite a bit of toughness, which I think is a really important tactic in what we need. His times stand up very well already and as he matures, I think he will be a great asset to the Eagles' men swimming team."

-CN-