AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's swimming and diving program will welcome 10 newcomers to the program, head coach Gary Taylor announced following the early signing period.
The 10 newcomers are: Jack Armstrong, Tyler Babinec, Christopher (Skip) Donald, Nik Eberly, Davis Edwards, Aryan Makhija, Lleyton Smith, Drake Stallworth, Aidan Stoffle and Grady Wheeler.
"I'm really excited about the class we were able to put together in a really short amount of time," first year Auburn head coach Gary Taylor said. "We are committed to recruiting outstanding student-athletes of championship character. In the classroom these guys excel, they do tremendous things in the pool and we feel like they have the character we want to recruit. A lot of these guys right now are really good high school swimmers but I think three-, four- and five years down the road you're going to look back and say that this class was ultimately a talented class that continued to progress and perform at the SEC and NCAA levels."
Meet The Signees
Jack Armstrong – Manvel, Texas – Sprint Free/Butterfly
High School: Manvel
Club Team: Houston Bridge BATS
Accomplishments: USA Swimming 2018 Summer National Championship qualifier … 2018 Texas 5-A State High School Champion 50 and 100 free … State record holder in the 100 free … Eight-place finisher in the 50 free at the 2017 Speedo Winter Junior Championship West … USA Swimming Academic All-American … Selected for USA Swimming 2018 National Select Camp … LSC (Gulf) Swimming record holder in the 50 free (LCM & SCY) and 100 free (SCY) … Manvel HS record holder in the 50-, 100- and 200 free and 100 fly … 2017-18 USA Swimming Top 10 in the 50- and 100 free
Parents: Keith and Vera Armstrong
Siblings: Anne
Taylor on Armstrong: Jack is the top prospect out of Texas. Very much sprint-mind, he's going to do some great things both in the 50- and 100 free and give us some strong performances in the 100 fly and 200 free as well as being a relay candidate immediately. He brings athleticism from other sports that should transfer into the pool.
Tyler Babinec – Milford, Ohio – Breaststroke/IM
High School: Milford
Club Team: Mason Manta Rays
Accomplishments: Won districts in the 50 free as a freshman … Third-place finisher in the 100 breast at state as a sophomore … Was on the relay that placed fifth at the state meet as a junior … Ranked 60th in the world junior list for the 100 breaststroke (LCM) … Was on two NAG record-breaking relays … Helped team win men's high point at summer juniors and combined team at NCSA Nationals
Parents: Jason and Nichole Babinec
Siblings: Kenzie
Taylor on Babinec: Tyler is going to be a great breaststroke specialist for us. He had a huge summer where he was a finalist at the junior national championships, one of the top meets for high school swimmers. We fully believe that his summer is just the beginning to future success.
Christopher (Skip) Donald – The Woodlands, Texas – Diving
High School: The Woodlands
Club Team: The Woodlands Diving Academy
Accomplishments: District and regional champion … State runner-up … Finished 11th at 2018 Nationals … Will be a third-generation Auburn student
Parents: Hubbard and Kendra Donald
Siblings: Peyton and Emily
Shaffer on Donald: Skip comes to Auburn from the Woodlands Diving Team and Olympic Coach Kenny Armstrong. He's a third generation Auburn student who's all about Auburn. He will be a tremendous contributor to our program in and out of the pool. His skill set will give him the opportunity to contribute at a high level at the SEC, NCAA and international level representing Auburn and the USA.
Nik Eberly – Pinckney, Mich. – Butterfly/Sprint Free
High School: Dexter
Club Team: Club Wolverine
Accomplishments: Nine-time all-state swimmer … Three-time all-American swimmer … D2 Michigan state champion in the 100 fly, 200 free, 200 free relay and 200 medley relay … 2018 Summer NCSA Team Champions … Has helped Dexter win the last two D2 state meets
Parents: Paul and Anna Eberly
Siblings: Kristoffer
Taylor on Eberly: Nik fell in love with Auburn at first sight. Coming out of Michigan as one of the state's premier butterfliers, he's a guy that's committed and devoted to being the most elite-self he can be. I love his energy and his passion. He's here because not only does he think he can help us but he feels like we can help him reach his most elite potential.
Davis Edwards – New Orleans, La. – Backstroke/IM
High School: Jesuit High School
Club Team: Nu Wave Swim Club
Accomplishments: 2017 Louisiana Swimming Senior Swimmer of the Year … 2017 National Select Camp … 15-16 state record holder in the 200 back (LCM) … Three-time relay state record holder (15-18 200 medley (SCY & LCM) and 400 medley (SCY)) … US Open qualifier in the 400 IM … 2017-18 Louisiana Div. I High School team champion … Two-time relay state champion
Parents: Tripp and Beth Edwards
Siblings: Ryland and Coleman
Taylor on Edwards: Davis has a very focused demeanor to academics and athletics. We've had a lot of talented Louisiana swimmers find success at Auburn and Davis is someone that's going to help us in IM and backstroke. We anticipate him having his best swimming during his time at Auburn.
Aryan Makhija – Khar West, Mumbai, India – Distance Free
Will enroll at Auburn in January 2019
High School: Glennwood
Club Team: Seagulls
Accomplishments: Top 16 finisher at the 2018 FINA World Championships … Indian National Record Holder in the 800m and 1500m (SCM) freestyles
Parents: Suraj and Krishika Makhija
Siblings: Vedika
Taylor on Makhija: Aryan will bring experience due to his international competitions to both the SEC and NCAA meets. He has been training in South Africa and he has some connections to current Auburn swimmers. He's one of the top international distance specialists. He's really excited to be in the United States training at a program and being at a university like Auburn. He's going to provide some really good depth but also some top-end speed on the endurance end.
Lleyton Smith – Suwanee, Ga. – Backstroke
High School: Lambert
Club Team: Swim Atlanta
Accomplishments: Holds multiple Lambert and Swim Atlanta team records … Broke the sectional and state records in the 100 back as a 10 year old … Placed 11th in the 100 back at juniors in 2017-18
Parents: Craig and Sandra Smith
Siblings: Lilia (swimmer at Arizona State)
Gary Taylor on Lleyton: Lleyton comes from the Swim Atlanta program and has been coming to Auburn for club meets for a long time. A tremendous addition as both a student and as an athlete, Lleyton has 100 and 200 backstroke skills and will develop in other areas as well.
Drake Stallworth – Fishers, Ind. – Butterfly
High School: Fishers
Club Team: Fishers Area Swimming Tigers
Accomplishments: School record holder in the 100 fly … Club record holder in the 100 free … Placed seventh in the 100 fly at 2016-17 state meet … Placed sixth in the 200 free and fifth in the 100 fly at 2017-18 state meet .. 2017-18 conference and sectional champion in the 100 fly and 200 free … 2016-17 conference champion in the 200 free … 2015-16 and 2017-18 team sectional and conference champions … 2018 summer senior state meet finalist in the 100- and 200 fly … Winter Junior National qualifier in the 100 fly.
Parents: Dexter and Lia Stallworth
Siblings: Disney and Dezirae
Taylor on Stallworth: Drake was drawn to Auburn first and foremost for the academic program. He's a very high achieving student but he also brings a lot to the table in the pool. He's a strong butterflier and a strong freestyler and someone that can really develop in the program. He comes with high praises from his coaches in Fishers.
Aidan Stoffle – Lilburn, Ga. – Backstroke/Butterfly/Sprint Free
High School: Brookwood
Club Team: Summit Swimming
Accomplishments: State champion in the 100 back and 100 free … Phillips 66 National qualifier and finalist.
Parents: Paul and Sabine Stoffle
Siblings: Nate, Samantha and Brendan
Taylor on Stoffle: Aiden is one of the top prospects in the United States. He's an elite sprint and middle distance, butterflier, backstroker and freestyler who is going to help us on relays and individual events across the board.
Grady Wheeler – Cincinnati, Ohio – Distance Free/IM
High School: Saint Xavier
Club Team: Mason Manta Rays
Accomplishments: Second- and third-place finisher in the 500 free at the conference meet the last two seasons … Won the mile at the Southwest Ohio Classic … Is part of a Saint Xavier team that has won the state championship 39 times, including 10 straight, has won a NISCA National Championship and a Swimming World National Championship … Has helped Mason Manta Rays to back-to-back Summer Juniors championships and a Winter Junior championship … Held numerous junior cuts and a winter national cut in the mile
Parents: Stephen and Tracy Wheeler
Siblings: Gordon (swimmer at Miami of Ohio) and Ellie
Taylor on Wheeler: Grady is another on a long list of strong academic students. He has a ton of energy and enthusiasm and is really excited about Auburn. Very much up-and-coming, he's seen some massive time drops and we're excited to see that continue at Auburn.
-- War Eagle –
