Cyclones Land Two Transfers for 2012-13

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State continued its preparation for the 2012-13 season Thursday with the addition of two transfers. Samantha Fossum has signed a financial aid agreement to join the Cyclones from South Dakota State, and Bettendorf, Iowa native Sarah Thompson has accepted admission to Iowa State after competing at Southern Connecticut State the past two seasons.

“We are excited to have both young ladies as part of our program,” Iowa State head coach Duane Sorenson said. “We feel they both have bright futures with us.”

Fossum joins the Cyclones after spending her freshman season with the Jackrabbits. Fossum was one of SDSU’s top distance swimmer, breaking the school record in the 500 free (4:59.28) and as a member of the 800 free relay team (7:34.66) at the Summit League Championships. Fossum was third in the 500 free and fourth in the 1650 free (17:09.34) at the conference championships on her way to earning all-league honors.

“Samantha will bring in quite a bit of experience to our distance freestyle group,” Sorenson said. “She is an outstanding competitor. When we raced against SDSU last season, she beat all of our distance swimmers. We are excited to have her as part of our program. We think she is going to be a great competitor across many events.”

Thompson was a two-time Division II All-American in the 200 back for the Owls, placing ninth in the NCAA Division II National Championships as a freshman and 15th last season. Thompson was the 2011 Northeast 10 champion in the 200 back and finished second in the event at the 2012 meet.

“Sarah has a wealth of experience in the backstroke,” Sorenson noted. “Being an All-American at the Division II level takes a lot of work and dedication.”

Thompson earned multiple All-America and All-State honors for the Bettendorf Bulldogs in her high school career.

With the additions of Fossum and Thompson, Iowa State added seven new members to the 2012- 13 squad during the signing periods. The two newcomers join swimmers Marissa Engel, Alex Flatness, Maria Gannon and Shahar Silberman as well as diver Elyse Brouillette.