Chaz Schuijt, one of five incoming Flames recruits, dives in for the start of a race with his team in Merritt Island, Fla.
Men’s swimming adds recruits with faster times than Flames’ record-holders
7/15/2024 6:36:00 PM | Men's Swimming
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Xander Williams from Ohio, Jonah Rees from Pennsylvania, Grant Ruble from Indiana, Chaz Schuijt from Florida, and Malachi Caballero from Virginia rank among the better, albeit smaller, recruiting classes in program history.
Five incoming recruits will help Liberty University's men's swimming team build on back-to-back second-place finishes at the College Club Swimming National Championships to challenge two-time defending champion Purdue for its first title next spring.
"I hope we can push for a national championship with this team," Flames Head Coach Heath Grishaw said. "This is the year to do it."
Xander Williams excels in the butterfly and freestyle.
Of the newcomers, three have already clocked high school times faster than existing Liberty program records — Xander Williams from Liberty Station, Ohio, in the 200-yard butterfly; Jonah Rees from York, Pa., in the 400 Individual Medley; and Malachi Caballero from King George, Va., in the 200 breaststroke.
Additionally, Grant Ruble from Indianapolis and Chaz Schuijt from Merritt Island, Fla., bring tremendous versatility and competitive drive to the Flames and will complement Liberty's returning swimmers and add tremendous depth to the lineup.
"All of these guys had opportunities to go to other places, and they are going to be great for us," Grishaw said. "They want to be a part of this program, and they are guys we were fighting for, who we wanted to bring in."
Grishaw said the recruiting process, given the program's regional and national success in recent seasons, has become easier for him and Assistant Coach James Anderssen.
"More and more people have heard about us, and we're not just seen as a club swimming team, but as a respected college program," Grishaw said. "People want to come here because we have Division I facilities and resources, so we are not handicapped being a club team."
He said Williams is from the same town as rising sophomore Aiden Walter who helped recruit him to Liberty.
"I love that teammate connection," Grishaw said, who said Williams has the potential to land on the podium at nationals as a freshman." I am super excited about what he's going to bring to the table.
He is the most talented swimmer in the class in terms of his speed and versatility. His top high school 200 fly time is three seconds faster than our team record, the oldest-standing record held by Noah Miller. He will be potentially our second-fastest leg for the 800 free relay, which placed second at nationals this year after winning with the meet record last year."
Only rising junior captain Whittman Brown has clocked a faster 200 free time than Williams.
Rees, meanwhile, is exceptional in both the 200 IM and 400 IM as well as the 200 and 500 free. He should be an excellent training partner for Drew Baxter, the 200 backstroke gold medalist as a freshman at nationals this past spring.
"He is actually probably our biggest all-around swimmer (in the class), a great 200 IMer who's PR in the 400 IM (4 minutes, 7 seconds) is two seconds faster than our current record holder, Robert Boehme," Grishaw said. "He is a great distance freestyler and a strong backstroker and a solid buttlerflyer, so he is a solid all-around recruit."
Ruble is a distance specialist.
Ruble, who swam against rising Flames sophomore Thomas Hill in high school, is an exceptional distance freestyler who is also strong in the 200 IM and butterfly. He will make a tremendous practice competitor for Hill, who placed second in the 1,000 free in 9:33 and third in the 500 free in 4:34 at nationals in program record-setting times.
"Thomas, who is going to be our fastest guy in the distance events, will show him what hard work looks like in the pool," Grishaw said. "If he's leading this way, guys around him are going to follow suit. Guys like Carter Rice, who had a phenomenal freshman year, are going to teach these new guys how to practice, how to fight for every lap. Due to his body type and technique, Grant has the most potential to see the greatest time drop."
Caballero, who is strong in all four strokes, has been on Grishaw's recruiting radar since middle school after attending Liberty's summer swimming camps and developing relationships with the coaching staff.
"He's going to be our fastest breaststroker coming in," Grishaw said, noting that his PR in the 200 breast is 2.5 seconds faster than the current team record set by Carter Helsby ('23). "We did not score in that event at nationals this year and his 200 breast time would be pushing to get into the B finals. Malachi has a huge ceiling in terms of potential. He's a great all-around swimmer and could be very talented in the 100 IM. With his skill set, he is going to be similar to (junior) Dillon Delaney, and he is going to excel with Jared Lovelace coaching him in the weight room."
Schuijt showed incredible dedication to improving his times in various events between his sophomore and senior seasons to lock up a recruiting offer from Grishaw. Freestyle sprints are Schuijt's strongest events, but he has clocked nearly identical times in the 100 fly and 100 back and competitive times in the 100 IM and 200 IM.
"He came and visited back in 2022 and he gave me some of his times — 57.1 seconds in the 100 fly, 24.7 in the 50 fly, 53.4 in the 100 free, and I gave him some markers to hit," Grishaw said. "I remember talking to him and I kind of counted Chaz out … but sure enough, he chased those times and had hit or bettered almost everyone a year later. It was mind-blowing. I told him his hard work and determination speaks volumes and I am excited to get him here. He is going to be great for us, just with his hard work."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterSchuijt improved his times dramatically across the board between his sophomore and junior years to earn a second look from Grishaw.
