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FAIRBANKS — Head coach Scott Lemley made an extremely
short trip to get this year’s first recruits for the Alaska
Nanooks swim team. Lemley announced on Thursday the signings of
Brooke Underwood and Madison Franz from West Valley High School and
Kyle Perkins from North Pole High School.
Underwood and Franz each competed for four seasons for the
Wolfpack, helping them capture the Region VI team titles in 2008
and last year.
Underwood’s teammates voted her the Wolfpack’s Most
Inspirational Swimmer last season, and she is scheduled to be a
sprint freestyler for the Nanooks.
In a University of Alaska Fairbanks press release, Lemley said he
has followed Underwood’s entire prep career.
“From her freshman year until now, she’s made great
strides, especially in the sprint freestyle,” he said.
“Her best time in the 50 free would have made our varsity top
10 last year.”
Underwood has competed for the Stingrays and Midnight Sun club
programs for eight years, and she plans to major in psychology and
possibly minor in photography at UAF.
Franz aided West Valley’s region title run in 2009 with a
third-place finish of 5 minutes, 58.25 seconds in the 500 free. The
time would be sixth on the Nanooks’ depth chart.
“Maddy has shown steady improvement over the course of her
high school career,” Lemley said. “From her 12th place
finish in the 500 free in 7:02.08 as a freshman to her third-place
finish this season, she’s dropped over a minute in that
event.”
Franz, who also swims locally for Midnight Sun, aspires to be a
nurse or a physical therapist.
Perkins spent four seasons as a backstroker and freestyler for
North Pole, helping the Patriots take the region team trophy in
2007 and winning an individual title and qualifying for the state
meet as a junior in 2008.
Her best 100 backstroke time of 1:08.90 puts her fifth on the
Nanooks depth chart.
Lemley said Perkins seemed to fit in well with the Nanooks when
she made her campus visit.
“We think that chemistry is so important in terms of
everyone working well together,” Lemley said.
“We’re thrilled to have her on our team next year and
look forward to adding more depth to our backstrokers.”
Perkins also competes for the Patriots’ track and field
team, and she swam for Midnight Sun for 12 years.
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