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Four Gophers Ink Pro ISL Contracts
9/9/2020 4:41:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS - Four Gopher alumni signed pro contracts in the International Swimming League this week, as Conner McHugh and Lindsey Kozelsky joined the DC Tridents, Tevyn Waddell signed with the New York Breakers and Kierra Smith inked a deal with the LA Current for the 2020 season, as announced by the ISL Wednesday morning.
Smith heads into her second year in the league after competing with the France-based Energy Standard team in 2019, while the 2020 season will be McHugh, Kozelsky and Waddell's first in the league.
The ISL is entering only its second season in existence this October after its successful debut campaign in 2019. With two new teams entering the league this year, the Toronto Titans and Tokyo Frog Kings, the ISL will feature 10 teams throughout the 2020 season - five from the U.S. and Canada and five from Europe and Asia. Their official schedule will be released later this week.
As a breaststroke specialist and 2018 graduate, McHugh left the Gophers as a six-time All-American, securing 47 points for the Gophers at the NCAA Championships throughout his career. Of those 47 points, 34 came during his senior season, as the Sturgeon Bay, Wis. native raced his way to a spot in the 'A' finals of both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, eventually touching fourth in the 200 (1:52.00) and sixth in the 100 with a then-team record time of 51.48.
Also the recipient of the team's 2018 Iron Fish award and a 2018 Golden Goldys nominee for the Male Athlete of the Year, McHugh's excellent performance helped the Gophers to their best NCAA team finish since 2010, placing 15th overall with 67 points.
Another breaststroke specialist, Kozelsky departs to Washington, D.C. with a triad of Minnesota team records to her name, 11 All-American accolades and a pair of 2020 NCAA Championships qualifying times from her senior season, including holding the fifth overall seed in the 100 breast.
The Albert Lea, Minn. native has scored 175 career points through her first three seasons at the NCAA Championships, including 48 from three straight top-four appearances in the 100 breast from 2017-19. Her Minnesota all-time records all come from the short-course yards section, including the 100 breast (57.91), 200 medley relay (1:35.06) and 400 medley relay (3:28.34).
Having also graduated in 2020, Waddell heads to New York's ISL franchise after an exceptional senior campaign with the Maroon & Gold where she qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships in three individual events for the second time in her career. Through her first three seasons, the Mitchell, S.D. product recorded more than 120 points at the NCAA Championships.
Nine times an All-American through her first three years with the program, Waddell also managed to etch her name onto the Minnesota record board five separate times throughout her collegiate career, where she currently holds the SCY all-time spots in the 100 backstroke (51.76), 200 medley relay (1:35.06) and 400 medley relay (3:28.34), as well as the long-course meters all-time scores in the 100 (1:00.96) and 200 back (2:10.86) events.
Smith graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2017 as an Olympian, NCAA Champion, seven-time All-American and Gopher record holder, still holding three to this day. Her NCAA Champion season came in 2015 when the Kelowna, British Columbia product took home gold in the 200 breast easily, winning the final race by more than two seconds. She would follow that performance with an even more remarkable feat in 2016: placing seventh in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
In 2019, Smith was a member of the inaugural season of the ISL, competing for Energy Standard and helping secure both the regular season and final match titles.
Smith heads into her second year in the league after competing with the France-based Energy Standard team in 2019, while the 2020 season will be McHugh, Kozelsky and Waddell's first in the league.
The ISL is entering only its second season in existence this October after its successful debut campaign in 2019. With two new teams entering the league this year, the Toronto Titans and Tokyo Frog Kings, the ISL will feature 10 teams throughout the 2020 season - five from the U.S. and Canada and five from Europe and Asia. Their official schedule will be released later this week.
As a breaststroke specialist and 2018 graduate, McHugh left the Gophers as a six-time All-American, securing 47 points for the Gophers at the NCAA Championships throughout his career. Of those 47 points, 34 came during his senior season, as the Sturgeon Bay, Wis. native raced his way to a spot in the 'A' finals of both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, eventually touching fourth in the 200 (1:52.00) and sixth in the 100 with a then-team record time of 51.48.
Also the recipient of the team's 2018 Iron Fish award and a 2018 Golden Goldys nominee for the Male Athlete of the Year, McHugh's excellent performance helped the Gophers to their best NCAA team finish since 2010, placing 15th overall with 67 points.
Another breaststroke specialist, Kozelsky departs to Washington, D.C. with a triad of Minnesota team records to her name, 11 All-American accolades and a pair of 2020 NCAA Championships qualifying times from her senior season, including holding the fifth overall seed in the 100 breast.
The Albert Lea, Minn. native has scored 175 career points through her first three seasons at the NCAA Championships, including 48 from three straight top-four appearances in the 100 breast from 2017-19. Her Minnesota all-time records all come from the short-course yards section, including the 100 breast (57.91), 200 medley relay (1:35.06) and 400 medley relay (3:28.34).
Having also graduated in 2020, Waddell heads to New York's ISL franchise after an exceptional senior campaign with the Maroon & Gold where she qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships in three individual events for the second time in her career. Through her first three seasons, the Mitchell, S.D. product recorded more than 120 points at the NCAA Championships.
Nine times an All-American through her first three years with the program, Waddell also managed to etch her name onto the Minnesota record board five separate times throughout her collegiate career, where she currently holds the SCY all-time spots in the 100 backstroke (51.76), 200 medley relay (1:35.06) and 400 medley relay (3:28.34), as well as the long-course meters all-time scores in the 100 (1:00.96) and 200 back (2:10.86) events.
Smith graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2017 as an Olympian, NCAA Champion, seven-time All-American and Gopher record holder, still holding three to this day. Her NCAA Champion season came in 2015 when the Kelowna, British Columbia product took home gold in the 200 breast easily, winning the final race by more than two seconds. She would follow that performance with an even more remarkable feat in 2016: placing seventh in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
In 2019, Smith was a member of the inaugural season of the ISL, competing for Energy Standard and helping secure both the regular season and final match titles.
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