Oct. 16, 2007

GREENVILLE, N.C. - As the 2007-08 season gets underway, East Carolina will look maintain its status as one of the top teams along the Eastern Seaboard. The Pirates have a rich tradition of success in the pool and the upcoming campaign promises to produce another notable season.

"We just want to swim fast," said Pirate head coach Rick Kobe. "It's just like anything else: if you swim fast, all that stuff takes care of itself."

After finishing third at the Conference USA Championships last season, the Pirates goals have remained the same: win the conference championship, go undefeated and have an average GPA of 3.0.

We've never done it," said Kobe. "We've done two out of three often, but we've never been able to put it all together. It's a huge task and something we try to achieve every year.

IM
The IM's should prove to be solid events for the Pirates this season. Returning are Conference USA Championship scorers: sophomore Jackie Jones, juniors Alli Miller, Kelly Swain and Katie Moore and senior EC Moore. As a freshman Jones made immediate impact in the 200 and 400 IM throughout the season. Swain and EC Moore showed great improvement at the C-USA Championship and will be looked to this season for added depth in these events. The coaches are excited about newcomers Lauren Dufault, Courtney Harris, and Mercedes Minney. All three should make solid contributions throughout the year. Harris will focus more on the 400 IM, while Dufault and Minney should see more time in the 200. All of these athletes have the ability to be scorers at the conference championship meet making this a high scoring event for the Pirates.

BACKSTROKE
This season the coaches will be looking for junior Alli Miller to lead the backstrokers and make a return to her outstanding freshman year performances. Also returning in their final season are seniors EC Moore and Sara Black. Moore has been a staple in the backstroke events for her entire career at ECU, and looks to finish up with her best year ever. Adding depth to these events will also be juniors Kelly Swain and Katie Moore. All of the returning Pirates are coming off solid 2006-07 seasons. Also adding a spark will be senior Rebecca Perry, who primarily competes as a sprint freestyle swimmer. Perry has some impressive times in the 100 backstroke as well. She helped the medley relay team to multiple dual meet victories last season, swimming the initial leg of the event. All six will provide strong support this season and make backstroke a strong event for ECU.

BREASTSTROKE
The Pirates group of breaststrokers this season will be comprised six very talented young ladies none of which are seniors. Leading the way will be sophomores Jackie Jones and Krista Hanson. Jones is looking for a repeat performance of her outstanding freshman season, while Hanson will be looked to for more consistency throughout the dual meet season. Her freshman record setting performance at the C-USA Championship meet has the coaches excited about her future as one of the Pirates all-time top breaststrokers. Juniors Adriane Wiltraut and Morgan Ley will add depth to a very talented group. Joining the team this season are a pair of talented freshmen, Stephanie Harper and Courtney Harris. Both join the Pirates with a lot of big meet experience and should compete for the top spot in the breaststroke events.

BUTTERFLY
This season ECU will look to Amanda Duncan to take over the number one spot in the butterfly events. Last season Duncan had one of the most consistent years of her career. She had an outstanding C-USA Championship meet with all-conference performances in both the 100 and 200 butterfly. Her experience and success will be a great asset for the younger members of the team. Adding solid depth in butterfly events will be junior Kelly Swain, sophomore Jackie Jones and Katlin Potts and freshman Courtney Harris, Lauren Dufault, and Mercedes Minney.

SPRINT FREE
Last season was a solid year for the Pirate sprinters. Throughout the entire 2006-07 season the Pirates displayed consistency and poise. In her final season senior Rebecca Perry will look to have the best year of her career and return to NCAA Championship form. As an all-conference performer and upper classmen, Perry will be looked to for continued dominance in her events. Also returning for the Pirates will be sophomores Rachel Blue and Katlin Potts. With a year of college experience under their belt the coaches feel comfortable they can count on the two in both the sprint events and relays. As one of the Pirates top recruits, freshman Jenna Stewart is expected to come in and compete with Perry for the top spot in the sprint events this season. Stewart is a Senior National qualifier with some very fast times in her events. Also seeing time in these events will be junior Betsy Roche. This year's sprint events will be filled with a mix of youth and experience, making it a strong point in the Pirates line up.

DISTANCE FREE
ECU will find the distance freestyle full of experienced and accomplished veterans this season. The Pirates return seniors Kim Brewer and Austine Enderle, and juniors Brennan Gaeckle and Meghan Brosi. Brewer will lead the way coming off her most successful season to date. She was named ECU's Most Improved and the coaches are looking for her continued success in her final season. Gaeckle and Brosi are also all coming off excellent seasons, while Enderle returns from a season ending injury last January. All four ladies will be relied upon heavily to carry the load in the distance events for the Pirates.