ROLLA, MO  --  Missouri S&T's swim team has announced their 2025 recruiting class, naming five new swimmers set to join the program for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Nathan Butler – Lee's Summit, MO – Butterfly/Backstroke/Freestyle
Butler joins the Miners as a true freshman from Lee's Summit High School, where he also swam for the Empire KC Swim Club. He capped his high school career on a high note in November, winning the 100-yard backstroke to become the MSHSAA Boys Class 2 State Champion.

"Nathan is a versatile swimmer who has been on our radar for quite some time," Head Coach Danny Murphy said, "He improved massively his senior year and should be a high-level contributor for us as a freshman in multiple events. Our last two swimmers from his high school and club developed into All-Americans in Rolla, so I'm very excited for his future."
 
Nicholas Malherbe - Stellenbosch, South Africa – Breaststroke
Malherbe, a native of Stellenbosch, South Africa, joins Missouri S&T after a strong run with the Lane Leader Stellenbosch club team. He wrapped up his time there two months ago by setting three personal bests at the South Africa Aquatic Championship, where he earned two top-20 finishes.

"Nicholas is our first-ever Miner Swimmer from Africa, He comes from a great training background and should develop into a major contributor for us. Breaststroke has historically been one of S&T's strong suits, and Nicholas has the potential to add to that great legacy. I am excited to see how quickly his training in a meters pool translates to speed in a yards."  —  Coach Murphy
 
Bryce Naquin – Thibodaux, LA – Sprint Freestyle
Naquin is the Miners' top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class, rated No. 4 in Louisiana and No. 638 nationally. A 16-time high school finalist, he captured his first title this year by winning the 50-yard freestyle at the LHSAA Division I Championship with a time of 20.71 seconds.

"Bryce is the newest member of a long line of great Miner Sprinters from the state of Louisiana. I expect Bryce to be a member of a lot of relays for us in the future and to contribute in a major way. Bryce may come from a small town, but he has the talent and the attitude to be a player at the conference and national level for us."  —  Coach Murphy
 
Colin Schaffer – Balwin, MO – Distance Freestyle/Butterfly
Schaffer spent his high school years competing with Parkway South High School, Parkway Swim Club, and Ozark Zone Team. He is ranked 23rd in the 2025 Missouri recruiting class. Most recently, Schaffer placed 2nd in the 100-yard butterfly and 5th in the 500-yard freestyle at the MSHSAA Boys Class 1 State Championship.

"Colin will bring some much-needed depth to our distance group at S&T. His versatility will be an asset at dual meets as he can swim many different strokes and distances at a high level. Colin comes from a great club background, and I am excited to see how much he improves here."   —  Coach Murphy
 
Preston Zuber – Liberty, MO – Fly/IM
Zuber is ranked directly behind Schaffer in the 2025 recruiting class, ranking 24th in Missouri. A native of Liberty, Missouri, Zuber has competed at Liberty North High School, Tsunami Swim Team of KC, and Missouri Valley Zone Team. In the final meet of his high school career, Zuber recorded a new top finish at the state championship, taking 4th place in the 100-yard butterfly.

"Preston is a versatile swimmer from a great club in the Kansas City area. He has the endurance to be a conference scorer in several middle-distance races but also has the speed to be a contributor in any of the five relays.  Preston comes from a club that is renowned for their work ethic, and I can't wait to see how well he competes both in practice and competition for us."   —  Coach Murphy
 

"I am thrilled with how well this class has come together," Coach Murphy, "We have athletes that can contribute in every swimming discipline, and the potential for this group is through the roof. I can't wait to watch their growth in and out of the pool through the next four seasons as the squad continues to progress towards our goals both at the conference and national levels."

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