LITTLE ROCK - UALR Swimming and Diving head coach Amy Burgess is pleased to announce Wednesday (Dec. 5) the addition of six swimmers for the 2013-2014 academic year. It is the biggest fall signing class in the history of the program.

Five of the signees hail from the state of Missouri while Elise Valdez comes to UALR from Topeka, Kan.

"We are excited to welcome six new faces to our program next fall," Burgess said. "This group is going to make an immediate impact in and out of the water. With a variety of talents, this class will help with the loss of our three seniors and create more depth in many of our events.

"We had a lot of success out of the St. Louis area and are excited to bring all the talent together," Burgess added.

Courtney Coe hails from Dardenne Prarie, Mo. and will graduate in the spring from Fort Zumalt West HS.

Coe swims for the Rec Plex Sharks club team under head coach Eric Strom. She made the junior national cut in the 100 butterfly and sectionals in the 100 and 200 butterfly and the 50 free. She also holds the team records in the 100 fly and 200 free.

"Courtney is going to be an immediate impact in the water. Losing senior butterfliers Amber Kelly & Amy Tran, the event is an area Courtney is going to be a great help. We are also excited to see how her sprint freestyle develops," Burgess said.

Besides her successes in the water, Coe is just as accomplished in the classroom. From 2009-12, she has been named to the All-State Academic and the All-Conference Academic team. She intends to study biology at UALR.

Meghan Glogoza joins the Swimming and Diving team from Saint Peters, Mo. and Saint Joseph's Academy. She swims for the Clayton Shaw Park Tideriders club team under head coach Dave McCrary. In her career, she has been a Missouri High School State and Sectional Qualifier.

Academically, she has been named to the Saint Joseph's Academy Honor Roll 2010-2012.

"Meghan is going to add depth to our sprint and middle distance groups. She is a diverse swimmer so we are excited to see how Meghan develops before next year," Burgess said.

The Glogoza family is no stranger to the pool as Meghan's brother, Alex, swims for the University of Missouri.

Kayla Grimm joins UALR from O'Fallon, Mo. and will graduate in the spring from Fort Zumwalt West HS and swims for the Rec Plex Sharks club team with fellow newcomer Coe. She is a 10-time All-Conference swimmer and has won championships in the 100 back as a freshman and the 200 and 500 freestyle as a junior. She is also a 3-time top-16 finisher at the State Meet and was a member of the State championship 200 medley relay team.

"Kayla is another great addition for 2013-14. A diverse swimmer, Kayla will make her mark in our distance group as well as in the back and IM. We will swim Kayla in a variety of events and we are excited to see how she develops in and out of the water," Burgess explained.

Receiving Athlete of the Week honors from the St. Louis Dispatch in January 2010, Grimm had Region 8 Central Sectional qualifying times in seven events and holds five club team records.

From Ellisville, Mo., Taylor Holz is currently completing her senior season with Lafayette HS. Swimming under the tutelage of Mary Liston at Rockwood Swim Club, Holz was a member of the 2010 Lafyette State Championship team and current 3-time defending Metro-South Conference champions.

"We are excited to have Taylor join us next fall," Burgess said. She is going to be a great addition in and out of the water. Contributing to the fly and IM events, we look to see great things from Taylor for the next four years."

Upon attending UALR, Holz plans on majoring in chemistry and secondary education. Her sister, Jessica, also swims for the University of Illinois.

From St. Louis, Mo., Kaitlyn Keltner is a senior at Lindbergh Sr. HS and swims under Jim Halliburton of the Flyers Aquatic Swim Club. For the past three seasons, Keltner finished in the top-16 at State competitions in at least one event the last three seasons.

"We are excited to welcome Kaitlin to the team. She is coming with tons of excitement and is going to be a great addition in and out of the water," Burgess explained. "She will be a contributor for the program in the fly and sprint free events."

Upon enrollment at UALR, Keltner plans to major in pre-pharmacy.

The only signee to hail from Kansas, Valdez is currently a senior at Washburn Rural HS and is a member of the Topeka Swim Association under head coach Barry Neville. In 2011, Valdez won a State championship in the 100 breastroke while also earning First Team All-State and All-League designation.

"Elise is an up-and-coming swimmer who will help in an area we do not have as much depth in, the breastroke. We are excited to see how Elise develops through her senior year and when she joins our program. We see great potential from her is a variety of events," Burgess said.

A 2010 and 2012 All-City swimmer, Valdez plans on majoring in accounting.

The 2012-13 edition of the UALR Swimming and Diving team recently completed its final competition of 2012 and returns to action Jan. 5 when it travels to Florida to compete in the Tampa Relays.