ERIE, Pa. - Gannon head swimming and diving coach Nathan Walters has announced the addition of four student-athletes to the program's 2011 recruiting class.

Katie Joseph (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald), Amanda Knapp (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg), Tessa Salicce (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and Nick Wolhaupter (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) have recently signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Gannon in the Fall of 2011.

“Student-athletes who choose to sign during our early NLI period show me as a coach a quality of commitment that is very vital in our sport,” noted Walters. “These four student-athletes help increase the depth of our program that continues to evolve every day.

“I have enjoyed the recruiting process with each of these four individuals and I am very excited to coach them to their fullest potential. We have learned a lot about each other throughout this process and that will lead to some familiarity as they make the transition into the collegiate ranks.”

Joseph has earned All-Ohio honors six times at the state championships. A two-time Scholastic All-American, she was the runner-up in the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle at the 2010 state championships. Joseph also won the 50 Lake Erie Gold Championship last season. A member of the National Honor Society, she plans to major in physical therapy.

Knapp is a two-time Northeast Ohio Conference (NOC) Swimmer of the Year, a three-time NOC first-team selection and a two-time state qualifier. Another Scholastic All-American, she holds school records in seven events (four individual, three relay). Knapp also served as the team captain the last two seasons. She is a member of the Principal's Roll, the National Honor Society and the Foreign Language Honor Society. She plans to major in occupational therapy.

Salicce has been a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) qualifier and varsity letterwinner for three consecutive seasons. She helped Bethel Park (Pa.) win the 2008 conference championship, before finishing second in 2009. Salicce was picked as a team captain this season. An honor roll member, she plans to major in nursing.

Wolhaupter is two-time state qualifier as an individual and three-time qualifier as a relay team member, earning all-state honors last year in the 50-yard freestyle (fourth place) and the 100-yard freestyle (10th place). A four-year varsity letterwinner, he has served as a team captain the last two seasons. Wolhaupter holds school records in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay. He has led his team in points every year, helping Watertown (Wis.) capture three conference runner-up trophies. Wolhaupter plans to be a physician assistant major.

The Gannon women's swimming and diving team is off to a 5-2 start in dual meets while the men's squad is 3-2 in dual action. The programs have already qualified 27 swimmers for the PSAC Championships this season. That group has recorded 118 PSAC-qualifying times.

Both teams return to action Saturday, January 15 against NCAA Division I Canisius at the Carneval Athletic Pavilion. The dual meet is scheduled for 1 p.m. The event represents Gannon's only home meet of the 2010-11 campaign.