Three Swimmers Sign With Iowa State

AMES, Iowa. – Head Coach Duane Sorenson has announced his 2023 signing class. Three swimmers make up the class hailing from Arkansas, Colorado, and South Africa.

Lydia McClugage is a swimmer out of Benton, Arkansas and specializes in backstroke and freestyle. Swimming for coach Craig Conner at Conway High School and coach Steve Hall for the Little Rock Arkansas Dolphins, McClugage placed first at the Arkansas Girls State Swimming Championships and placed top-three at Arkansas Club State in the 50 free. McClugage also holds school records in the 50 and 100 free. She assisted her relay team that broke the Conway High School record in the 200 IM relay.

"Lydia is a very strong sprinter and she's going to really help our team in both the 50 and 100 freestyle. We're excited to see how fast we can get her to swim next year," Sorenson said.

Abigail (Abbi) Crum joins the Cyclones as a mid-distance and breaststroke swimmer. A native of Fort Collins, Colo., Crum swims for coach Kirk Witulski at Fort Collins High School and the Fort Collins Area Swim Team (FAST) under coach Mike Novell. Crum is an All-American in her relay events and has earned an Athlete of the Month Award. She swam to PRs of 4:27.09 in the 400 IM, 2:05.78 in the 200 IM, and 2:20.15 in the 200 BR.

"Abigail comes to Iowa State with a lot of history," Sorenson said. "Her mother was the volleyball coach here and her dad worked in the athletics department for a long time. She was born in Ames, so she is coming back home. She is a tremendous all-around swimmer; she can swim the breaststroke, the butterfly, and the IM. So, she is going to add tremendous amount of depth to all of those races."

Emma Kuhn is the final swimmer of the class, coming from Cape Town, South Africa. Kuhn primarily swims breaststroke, freestyle, and IM events at Herschel Girls School and the Vineyard Swimming Club under Coaches Rhys Hugo and Duncan Bonney. Kuhn represented South Africa in 2019 at CANA Zone 4 African Champs and won two gold, six silver, and one bronze metals. She was also selected for the South African Commonwealth Squad in 2019 and 2020 as well as the South African Youth Squad in 2020. Kuhn swam qualifying times for the Junior World Championships in the 200 IM and 100 free in 2021. At the SA Olympic trials, she placed fourth in the 400 IM, fifth in the 200 IM, nineth in the 100 breast, and 10th in the 50 breast. She broke the Western Province SC records in 2021 in the 100 breast and 100 fly, in addition to the 50 breast, 100 breast, and 100 IM this year.

"Emma has a tremendous upside, and she is also versatile in swimming the backstroke and the fly. She is a great IM'er in both the 200 and 400, so it will be interesting to see where she ends up. She is going to be an impact player right away," Sorenson said.

Iowa State University Athletics

Three Swimmers Sign With Iowa State

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