Sept. 19, 2006
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
The IMs should prove to be solid events for the Lady Pirates this season led by senior Kate Gordon, junior EC Moore and sophomore Alli Miller. As a freshman, Miller made an immediate impact in the 200 IM, while Gordon showed her strength in the event as well and should create a solid one two punch for the Pirates this season. Moore and newcomer Jacquelynn Jones will focus on the 400 IM and provide depth in the 200. Sophomore Katie Moore will swim both the 200 and 400 IM adding even more strength to a talented group of swimmers. All of these athletes have the ability to be scorers at the conference championships making this a high scoring event for the Lady Pirates.
BACKSTROKE
This year the backstroke events will again be one of the deepest for the Lady Pirates. ECU will have five of its all-time fastest swimmers returning to compete this season led by sophomore Alli Miller. Last year Miller finaled in all three of her events at the C-USA Championships, and recorded the second fastest 100 and 200 backstroke times in school history. Also returning are juniors EC Moore and Sara Black along with senior Stephanie Hathaway. All of the returning Lady Pirates are coming off outstanding seasons, filled with best times and all-time top 10 performances. Adding depth to this already deep event will be sophomores Kelly Swain and Katie Moore. Rebecca Perry will also add depth in sprint events. All seven will provide strong support this season and should make the backstroke one of the Pirates' strongest events.
BREASTSTROKE
The Lady Pirates will have a young group of breaststrokers this season led by the sophomore duo of Morgan Ley and Adriane Wiltraut. Both had outstanding freshman seasons and will be looked upon to take over leadership roles. New to the team are freshmen Jacquelyn Jones and Krista Hanson. These two rookies join the Pirates with big meet experience and will be looked upon to provide a spark in both breaststroke events.
BUTTERFLY
As she did last season senior Kate Gordon is expected to set the pace in the butterfly events this year. Her junior campaign culminated with all-conference performances in both the 100 and 200 butterfly and three final appearances in her events. Gordon was a top relay performer for the Lady Pirates at the C-USA Championships and also emerged as one of the teams top IMers last season. Senior Emily Loyd, a three-time C-USA finalist, junior Whitney Riefler and sophomore Amanda Duncan will accompany Gordon in the events. Duncan had and outstanding freshman year and is expected to excel again in 2007. All four ladies will help continue to make this a strong event for ECU again this season.
SPRINT FREE
The sprint events will see some new faces this season. The sprinters will be lead by Greenville native Rebecca Perry, who is in her second season with the Lady Pirates after transferring from NC State. Perry finished the dual meet season undefeated in both the 50 and 200 freestyles. At the C-USA Championships Perry set school records in the 50 (22.88), 100 (50.83), and 200 (1:49.10) freestyle and qualified for the NCAA Championships. An all-conference performer and team leader, Perry looks to continue her dominance in those events. Adding depth in these events will be Kate Gordon, Stephanie Hathaway, and sophomores Amanda Duncan and Betsy Roche. Hathaway has primarily been a backstroker, but displayed her sprinting ability at the end of last season; the coaches are looking forward to seeing her in some more sprint events this year. Joining the Lady Pirates are two very talented freshmen, Rachel Blue and Katlin Potts. The coaches are looking for Blue and Potts to make an immediate impact in the sprint events and relays. This large and talented group will add the luxury of having solid depth and speed to allow the Pirates to produce some exceptional relays throughout the year.
DISTANCE FREE
The distance free events are among the most highly regarded by opponents. The Lady Pirates return their entire distance group from last season and the coaches will rely on these veterans to score big points throughout the season. Junior Megan Pulaski will look to break her own ECU varsity records in the 1000 (10:09.74) and 1650 freestyle (16:55.84), which she set last season. Also returning are seniors Jennie Meade and Emily Loyd. Both had outstanding junior seasons and are expected to show continued improvement in the distance events. The distance group will also have sophomores Brennan Gaeckle and Meghan Brosi returning this season. Both turned out to be integral parts of the Pirates success last season, producing some of the fastest times of their careers in the dual meet season and scoring valuable points at the conference championship meet. Other returnees include senior Katie Dugan and juniors Kim Brewer and Austine Enderle. The distance group is outstanding this season and will make this one of the strongest and deepest events for the Pirates. This group should score big points and prove to be a challenge for all opponents this year.
DIVING
The lady divers will be led this year by seniors Andrea DePhillips and junior Christie Icenhower; both whom are coming off strong seasons last year. DePhillips faced the challenges of dealing with numerous injuries throughout the season, but still turned in a successful junior campaign. Icenhower had a great sophomore year; breaking all the major varsity records and qualifying for the NCAA Zone meet for the second consecutive year and recorded the highest finish in school history. Icenhower will look to duplicate her accomplishments again this season. Joining the Lady Pirate diver are freshmen Megan Patro and Dana Gimbor. Both had outstanding high school careers, finishing among the top 10 at the Pennsylvania state championships.
