Completed Event: Swimming and Diving versus Big 12 Duals on January 16, 2026 , , 5th, 781 points
Final
Swimming and Diving
Big 12 Duals
5th, 781 points
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Iowa State University Athletics
From left to right: Bryn Ericksen, Rachel Resch, Emma Sass, Lehr Thorson
Cyclones Add Four Swimmers to 2017-18 Roster
04.18.2017 | Swimming and Diving
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State swimming and diving team has added four new members to its class of 2017, head coach Duane Sorenson announced Tuesday. The four soon-to-be Cyclones join last fall's class of four to bring Iowa State's 2017 class up to eight new student-athletes.
The four additions announced today are all swimmers and include a pair of Iowans, one walk-on and one transfer.
Bryn Ericksen - Breast/Free
A breaststroke and freestyle swimmer from Cincinnati, Ericksen will come to Ames as a preferred walk-on. Ericksen competed for coach Brad Isham at the Ursuline Academy and on the Countryside YMCA club team. A member of her high school's High Honor Roll, Ericksen is a qualifier for YMCA Nationals and the Ohio high school state meet and was named to the GGCL All-Conference Second-Team.
"Bryn has a lot of ability and potential that I think we can mold into a really good sprint freestyler, but she also has a lot of breaststroke background that we may be able to use to add more depth in those races. We look at her and see a lot of potential, a lot of upside," Sorenson said.
Rachel Resch - Fly/Sprint Free
Resch will transfer to Iowa State from Bowling Green State University, where she swam freestyle and butterfly her freshman year and earned Scholar Athlete recognition with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Resch is originally from Neenah, Wisconsin, where she was three-time MVP of the Neenah High School swimming team and a captain on both the swimming and basketball teams.
"She's from the same area that [senior] Kenzie Goudreau's from and comes very highly recommended by Kenzie," Sorenson said. "We think she's really going to add a lot of depth to the butterfly and sprint events for us. She may end up swimming the 200 fly for us because in some meets we may need more depth in that race and she said she's willing to do that. She's a real team player - she'll do whatever it takes."
Emma Sass - Sprint Free/Back
Sass will help bolster a sprint freestyle core that will both graduate and return multiple school record holders. Sass excels as a sprinter in the pool and on the track, having earned All-American consideration in the 50 freestyle and qualifying for the state championship three times, as well as twice qualifying for Drake Relays. The two-time team captain will graduate as an Academic All-American with a 4.2 GPA.
"Emma is a tremendous sprinter. She doesn't have a lot of training background because she's a multisport athlete," Sorenson said. "She reminds me a lot of Laura Miksch as far as Laura was a track runner and Emma's a track runner, Laura's a sprinter and Emma's a sprinter. If we can get half as much out of Emma as we did out of Laura we'll be in pretty good shape. Emma's a very fierce competitor, bubbly, has a lot of energy and I think she'll really help in the sprint free events these coming years."
Lehr Thorson - Breaststroke
Thorson comes to Iowa State after having swam under coach Ashley Koons at Fort Dodge Senior High in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and coaches Joe Plane and Michael Peterson for the ACAC Club Team. In her high school career, Thorson earned Second-Team All-State honors; broke school records in the 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay; placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke at the 2016 state championship meet; and earned Academic All-American distinction.
Thorson's family is no stranger to D-I athletics in the state of Iowa. At the University of Iowa, Thorson's father played both sides of the ball on the gridiron and her grandfather earned an NCAA wrestling title. Her uncle, Nik Moser, played defensive back for the Cyclones from 2002-05, forcing ten turnovers in 43 career games and earning Defensive MVP honors in Iowa State's 2004 Independence Bowl victory.
"She's got a lot of talent. She's improved tremendously the last couple of years and qualified for the state meet, which was a tremendous thrill for her," said Sorenson. "We think she's got a lot of upside because we see where we can really help her get a lot faster and fix some technical issues that can help unlock that."
Iowa State Swimming & Diving Class of 2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Bryn Ericksen -  Cincinnati, Ohio
Wyli Erlechman  -  Naperville, Illinois
Martha Haas  - Minnetonka, Minnesota
Rachel Resch - Neenah, Wisconsin
Emma Sass  -  Dubuque, Iowa
Grace Snyder  -  Ames, Iowa
Lehr Thorson -  Fort Dodge, Iowa
Kennedy Tranel -  Mukwonago, Wisconsin
Players Mentioned
Sprint Free/Fly
/ Swimming and Diving
Sprint/Breast
/ Swimming and DivingLehr Thorson feature
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