North Kingstown swimmer Beisel chooses Florida

By JOHN GILLOOLY
Journal Sports Writer

He may not have bagged much candy, but University of Florida women's swimming coach Gregg Troy definitely received a big treat on Halloween.

That's when North Kingstown High senior and U.S. Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel told Troy that she will be attending Florida next fall.

Beisel's call to Troy last Saturday telling him that she would be in Gainesville next year means the Gators have won the recruiting battle for one of the top young swimmers in the world.

Virtually every major college swimming program in the country wanted Beisel, and why wouldn't they? Over the past 15 months the 17-year-old Saunderstown resident has placed in the top five in two events at the Olympics, won two individual titles at the U.S. National Swimming Championships and won a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Shortly after she returned home from the World Championship in Rome this past August, Beisel narrowed her college possibilities to three schools -- Florida, the University of California at Berkley and the University of Texas. She made official visits to all three colleges over the past six weeks.

"It was hectic," said Joan Beisel, Elizabeth's mother of her daughter's college search. "She went on a visit every other weekend since September. It was a tough choice for her. They're all great schools and great programs."

Beisel, who was born and grew up in Saunderstown, first appeared on the national, and world, swimming radar screen three years ago when, as a 14-year-old high school freshman, she earned a spot on the U.S. women's team that competed in the world championships in Australia. She finished 12th in the 200-meter backstroke.

A year later she became the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic women's swimming team, and placed fourth in the 200-meter individual medley and fifth in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Then this past summer she became both a national champion and a world medal winner as she won both the 400-meter IM and the 200-meter backstroke at the U.S. Championships in June, then took the bronze medal in the 200-yard backstroke at the World Championships in Rome in August.

And when she wasn't competing in the Olympics or the Worlds or the U.S. Championships, she was swimming for the North Kingstown High swimming team in the R.I. Interscholastic League.

She has won two individual championships (the maximum possible) at each of the past three state high school championship meets.

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