(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB Reds are adding backstroker Susana Somerton to their recruiting class of 2020.

The 18-year-old, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has signed a U SPORTS Letter of Intent, and will join the Reds ahead of the 2020-21 Atlantic University Sport season.

“I look forward to contributing to a positive team environment and boosting the team towards performing our best,” said Somerton. “As an athlete, I love pushing my boundaries, and I look forward to finding my limits and then extending them with grit and perseverance.”

Somerton is finishing her Grade 12 Year at Sacred Heart School, in Halifax, and is a veteran member of the Dartmouth Crusaders Swim Club.

“We’re excited to see her perform this coming season,” said Reds head coach Marta Belsh. “I’ve been very impressed with Susana’s leadership and abilities. She has a natural kindness and approachability. She’ll be a valuable asset in the positive environment we’re building here.”

Somerton’s swimming resume boasts numerous top five finishes at provincial and regional events.

In 2018, she swept the backstroke events (50m, 100m, 200m) at the 2018 Nova Scotia winter junior provincial championships.

“When I visited UNB in November, I made an immediate connection with the team,” she said. “I felt right at home with the girls, and in the pool. The atmosphere was welcoming, and refreshingly positive and encouraging.”

Somerton is a qualified lifeguard and has worked, at the club level, as an assistant swim coach.

She’s been involved in ‘Swim Like A Girl’ camps, which promotes participation in the sport to girls and women, and is an accomplished pianist.

Somerton will study Kinesiology while attending UNB.