SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State head swimming coach Dave Collins announced on Friday eight commitments for the 2025-26 season. Six of the eight recruits will come to Missouri State as freshmen in the fall, while two will transfer from the NJCAA level.

"A lot of work went into putting this class together," Collins said. "First of all, I want to thank Associate Head Coach Chelsea Dirks-Ham for all her effort in helping to identify a great group of student-athletes that will thrive in our environment. We feel like we were able to address most of our needs while being patient and identifying a group that will come right in and positively impact our team immediately."

"It's been very exciting to watch our class of 2025 come together," Dirks-Ham said. "We are adding a group of motivated student-athletes who have goals of being high performers in the pool and classroom from the minute they step foot on campus."

Missouri State's newest commitments include:

Men's Swimming & Diving
Anderson Brown • Butterfly/Freestyle • 6-0 • Kyle, Texas • Jack C Hays High 
Zach Mendez • Freestyle/IM • 6-0 • Lansing, Kan. • Lansing High
Kiefer Roemer • Breaststroke/Freestyle/IM • 6-2 • Bettendorf, Iowa • Bettendorf High
Peter Wendol • Breastroke/IM • 5-11 • Palm Harbor, Fla • Palm Harbor University High

Women's Swimming & Diving
Paige Corbin • Breaststroke/IM • 5-6 • Houston, Texas • Homeschool
Aleca Howard • Breaststroke/IM • 5-4 • Wichita, Kan. • Trinity Academy High
Ané Meier • Freestyle/Butterfly • 5-10 • Pretoria, South Africa • Cambridge Homeschool
Laney Weiland • Freestyle • 5-7 • Flower Mound, Texas • Flower Mound High

Anderson Brown • Butterfly/Freestyle • 6-0 • Kyle, Texas • Jack C Hays High • Indian River State
A transfer out of Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla., Anderson Brown entered the college ranks following runner-up finishes in the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard individual medley at the 2023 Texas High School 5A State Championships. At Indian River, he helped lead the Pioneers to their 50th consecutive NJCAA national championship in 2024, the most consecutive national titles by a college or university in the United States. Brown won three NJCAA individual event championships in 2024, the 200 butterfly, 400 IM and 1,650 freestyle. He holds the NJCAA national record in the 200 fly (1:44.84). He was named the 2024 NJCAA Male Swimmer of the Year.

Anderson Brown on Missouri State:
"As a transfer out of junior college, I've experienced collegiate swimming at a smaller level. That said, I'm super pumped to make the step up into Division I and racing at the highest level in collegiate athletics."


Zach Mendez • Freestyle/IM • 6-0 • Lansing, Kan. • Lansing High
Mendez made his splash in the ranks of the high school swimming circuit in Kansas where he is the No. 2 ranked recruit in the state, according to Swimcloud. He has helped lead the Lansing Lions to United Kansas Conference championships in each of his first three years. As a freshman, Mendez won the conference title in the 500 freestyle and finished second in the 200 freestyle. He won both events at the conference level his sophomore year, setting the school record in each event. He went on to win the 500 freestyle and finished fifth in the 200 freestyle in the state meet. He led Lansing to a fifth-place team finish at the 2024 Kansas 5-1A State Championships. He improved his school records while also setting new ones in the 100 freestyle and 200 IM. He won both the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle state championships, the latter of which was a state record. He was also a Junior National qualifier representing the Northland United swim team.

Zach Mendez on Missouri State:
"The thing that drew me to Missouri State during the recruiting process is they have an accelerated master's program for my major. I'm looking forward to college swimming to get faster and help contribute to hopefully winning a conference title."


Kiefer Roemer • Breaststroke/Freestyle/IM • 6-2 • Bettendorf, Iowa • Bettendorf High
Roemer is the No. 2 ranked recruit in Iowa according to Swimcloud and was a US Open qualifier. He was a state qualifier and relay finalist each year for the Bettendorf Bulldogs where he holds the school record in the 100 breaststroke (55.93), good for top three in the state. Roemer also holds a top five state time in the 200 IM (1:53.93). He most recently set personal bests in the 100 breast (54.10) and the 200 breast (2:00.91) at the A3 Midwest Challenge representing the Iowa Flyers club team. Roemer also plays for the Bettendorf golf team, making varsity his sophomore year. He is set to join Missouri State following the five-year career of his sister Samantha Roemer, who joined the Bears in 2020 and has won 12 Missouri Valley Conference gold medals in her first four years.

Kiefer Roemer on Missouri State:
"What gets me pumped about being a Missouri State Bear is being part of the awesome community. I can't wait to hang out on campus and cheer for the Bears at all kinds of games.  What really drew me to MSU in the recruiting process was their team bonding. I know having a good team bond can motivate everybody to work harder."


Peter Wendol • Breastroke/IM • 5-11 • Palm Harbor, Fla • Palm Harbor University High
Wendol swam his freshman year of high school at East Lake High where he had top nine finishes in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM at the Pinellas County Athletic Conference (PCAC) meet and the Florida High School Athletic Association 4A District 5 Meet. He went to Palm Harbor High School starting his sophomore year and helped the team to win the FHSAA 4A District 8 Meet with an individual title in the 200 IM. The Hurricanes finished third in the region that year. As a junior, he won the 200 IM at the district meet again while also securing wins in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke at the PCAC meet. Palm Harbor improved to a second-place showing at the FHSAA Region 3 meet and a sixth-place result at the state meet. He won events at the conference, district and region meets and has been recognized as a Scholastic All-American Athlete by USA Swimming.

Peter Wendol on Missouri State:
"I am looking forward to swimming with amazing athletes and taking my swimming to a higher level. Coach Collins and Coach Chelsea Dirks-Ham helped make the campus feel like home."


Paige Corbin • Breaststroke/IM • 5-6 • Houston, Texas • Homeschool
Corbin competed for the Premier Aquatics Club of Klein, winning a multitude of events and meets. She has helped her teams win the Angleton High School Swimming & Diving Invitational and the HAPPI Swim Championship. She also helped her team to a second-place finish at the Bob Stallings Aggieland Invitational her sophomore year and also to a win at the 2023 Houston Area TISCA Championship. She holds team records in the 200 medley relay and 200 IM. She was a runner-up finisher at the 2024 HAPPI Swim Championship.

Paige Corbin on Missouri State:
"I was most drawn to Missouri State due to the coaching staff and their commitment to fostering both athletic and academic excellence. I am most excited about becoming a Bear because of the sense of community, school spirit and opportunities for personal and academic growth."


Aleca Howard • Breaststroke/IM • 5-4 • Wichita, Kan. • Trinity Academy High
Howard is the No. 1 ranked recruit in the state of Kansas, according to Swimcloud. She has made First Team All-Metro and First Team All-State each of her first three years in high school. After taking silver medals at the Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 5-1A Championships in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke her freshman year, Howard took gold in both events her sophomore and junior years. She was named All-Metro Swimmer of the Year in each of the gold-medal years. She is a Junior National Qualifier representing Wichita Swim Club. 

Aleca Howard on Missouri State:
"I am super excited for the opportunity to train and compete with my new teammates and to grow a relationship with the team and coaches. I knew a few people who swim for Missouri State and have helped the Bears win so many conference championships. Springfield is beautiful. The school has a proven ability to help me grow as an athlete."


Ané Meier • Freestyle/Butterfly • 5-10 • Pretoria, South Africa • Cambridge Homeschool
Another transfer from Indian River State College, Ané Meier helped the Pioneers to their 45th and 46th NJCAA National Championships during her time in Fort Pierce, Florida. This season alone, Meier has been key in continuing Indian River's dominance with events wins against Keiser University in the 400 medley relay, 400 free relay and 200 freestyle. She also holds wins in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She opened the 2024-25 season with a 200 freestyle win over Florida Atlantic. 

Ané Meier on Missouri State:
"As an international student and a transfer from a junior college, I'm really looking forward to swimming in a Division I program and spending the last couple of years in college at a school like Missouri State. I really felt at home in Springfield!"


Laney Weiland • Freestyle • 5-7 • Flower Mound, Texas • Flower Mound High
Weiland makes her way to Springfield after a stellar career with the Flower Mound Jaguars and with Lakeside Aquatic Club in Texas. Weiland won Flower Mound's Newcomer of the Year award after finishing ninth in the 200 freestyle and 12th in the 500 freestyle at regionals her freshman year. She improved at regionals in her sophomore season, taking third in the 200 free and fourth in the 500 free. Weiland also got third in the 500 free at the district meet that season. She expanded her event pool in her junior year with a 100 freestyle victory at districts and a runner-up result at regionals. She finished 13th in the 100 free at the state level. Weiland played a role in the effort to set the Flower Mound school record in the 400 freestyle relay record, good for 10th at state. She was named Flower Mound's Swimmer of the Year last season.

Laney Weiland on Missouri State:
"What drew me to Missouri State during the recruiting process was the strong combination of athletics and academics. From my first calls, the coaches were always so welcoming and it felt so fitting. I believe that Coach Dave and Coach Chelsea not only care about their swimmers as competitors, but also as people. The opportunity to be a part of something greater than myself and to work with such a dedicated team has me so excited for the next 4 years."