Swimming and Diving Adds Four More For 2013-14

LAWRENCE, Kan. –  Kansas swimming and diving has signed four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) to continue their athletic and academic careers at Kansas, as announced by head coach Clark Campbell.

Campbell is very excited about the four signees that he brought in during the spring.

“All four are going to make an immediate impact on the program,” Campbell said. “We’re really excited to have them on board.”

The 2013 spring signees include: Léa Wissocq (Dunkirk, France), Pia Pavlic (Medvode, Slovenia), Amanda Maser (Trinity, Fla./J.W. Mitchell) and Yulduz Kuchkarova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan).

“There’s definitely an international flavor to the four who signed, and their competitive international experience is only going to help make our team be better.”

Léa Wissocq | Dunkirk, France
Wissocq, a native of France, won the silver medal for the 2013 French Junior National Team in the 50- and the 100-free. She is a member of the French National Team and also competed in the 2010 European Junior Championships.

“She (Wissocq) will make an immediate impact in sprint free events,” Campbell said.

Pia Pavlic | Medvode, Slovenia
Pavlic, who is considered to be one of the top recruits out of Slovenia, has been a member of the Slovenian National Team since 2009.

Campbell is excited about the opportunities that are in play with Pavlic because she is not limited to a specific event. Along with qualifying for the European Championships in 2012, Pavlic won the National Championship for the 100- and 50-back and 50-fly.

“Pia is a very versatile swimmer,” Campbell said. “She can swim the 50-free, the 100- and 200-backstroke and the 100-fly.”

Amanda Maser | Ft. Meyers, Fla. | J.W. Mitchell
The lone diver in the spring signing period, Maser, dove in Ft. Meyers, Fla. She was a top diver in Florida, and was a state finalist numerous times. She also dove with new diving coach Brian Pritt at his Tennessee diving camps.

Maser placed third in Florida’s high school state meet in both her junior and senior years, and qualified for the 2012 USA Zone Championships. Maser also competed in the AAU National Championships in 2012, where she placed ninth on the 1-meter, 13th on the 3-meter and 15th on the platform. She was also a member of the National Honor Society.

“Amanda already having a relationship with Brian is going to be huge for us,” Campbell said. “She will come in and contribute right away.”

Yulduz Kuchkarova | Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Kuchkarova rounds out the three swimmers in the spring class for Campbell. She has been a member of the Uzbekistan National Team since 2006. She competed in the Youth Olympic games in 2010, placing seventh in the 100-back. She also qualified for the World Championships in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. Kuchkarova was a member of the Uzbekistan Olympic team in 2012.

“Yulduz is one of our most accomplished athletes coming into the program,” Campbell said. “Her experiences at the World Championships and Olympic Games will definitely help her and her teammates aspire to NCAA success. She will make our backstroke group one of the best in the Big 12.”

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.