Men's Swimming and Diving
Jabs, Matthew
Matthew Jabs
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- jabsm@ecu.edu
- Phone:
- (252) 328-0900
Matthew Jabs returned to East Carolina as the women’s swimming and diving head coach in February 2021 after previously serving as the head coach for the Pirates’ men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs from 2017-20.
Both programs were discontinued at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, but the women’s program was reinstated in January 2021.
Under his guidance, the men’s program captured its fourth American Athletic Conference championship in 2020 and he was recognized as Coach-of-the-Year along with his staff.
During his seven seasons as ECU’s Head Coach, his teams compiled a combined dual meet record of 69-31 (M 16-9 in four seasons, W 53-22 in seven seasons). The Pirates set 76 school records and won 29 American Athletic Conference championship events with 50 all-conference athletes accumulating 85 all-conference performances.
ECU set multiple championship records and registered numerous NCAA “B” qualifying standards, with five athletes receiving an invitation to the NCAA Championships. More than 100 ECU all-time top 10 performances have been recorded during his tenure as head coach.
Jabs was a member of ECU Hall of Famer Rick Kobe’s coaching staff for 17 seasons before taking over the reins of the program.
He began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at ECU before becoming a graduate assistant in 2001. After completing his master's degree in 2003, he was promoted to assistant coach and spent the next eight seasons as the program's lead assistant before being elevated to associate head coach in 2013. During that time, the Pirates captured three men's American Athletic Conference titles while the women won a pair of league championships in 2001 (ECAC) and 2003 (Conference USA).
As an assistant at ECU, Jabs coached multiple NCAA Championship qualifiers and individual conference champions. The athletes he mentored as an assistant posted 196 ECU all-time top-10 career performances and accounted for 35 records. His pupils also received the ECU Most Outstanding Swimmer Award seven times and its Most Improved Swimmer Award eight times.
As a member of the coaching staff in 2013-14, Jabs helped the women’s squad post the only undefeated regular season by an ECU female athletic program in school history. Neither the men’s nor women’s teams have finished below .500 during Jabs’ tenure.
A four-year letterman at ECU for Coach Kobe, Jabs was a two-time recipient of the program’s Most Outstanding Swimmer Award. As a senior, he served as team captain and posted the fastest 100-yard freestyle time in school history, which previously stood for more than 20 years, during his final meet. He was a multi-event Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship finalist and finished his career ranked among the school’s all-time top-10 in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle.
A native of Vernon, Conn., Jabs graduated from East Carolina University in 2001 with a degree in exercise and sports science and a minor in recreation and leisure studies. He earned his master's degree in athletic and physical education administration two years later.
Jabs and his wife Jaclyn, also an ECU graduate and former athletic trainer, have two sons Evan (17) and Jackson (13).
Both programs were discontinued at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, but the women’s program was reinstated in January 2021.
Under his guidance, the men’s program captured its fourth American Athletic Conference championship in 2020 and he was recognized as Coach-of-the-Year along with his staff.
During his seven seasons as ECU’s Head Coach, his teams compiled a combined dual meet record of 69-31 (M 16-9 in four seasons, W 53-22 in seven seasons). The Pirates set 76 school records and won 29 American Athletic Conference championship events with 50 all-conference athletes accumulating 85 all-conference performances.
ECU set multiple championship records and registered numerous NCAA “B” qualifying standards, with five athletes receiving an invitation to the NCAA Championships. More than 100 ECU all-time top 10 performances have been recorded during his tenure as head coach.
Jabs was a member of ECU Hall of Famer Rick Kobe’s coaching staff for 17 seasons before taking over the reins of the program.
He began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at ECU before becoming a graduate assistant in 2001. After completing his master's degree in 2003, he was promoted to assistant coach and spent the next eight seasons as the program's lead assistant before being elevated to associate head coach in 2013. During that time, the Pirates captured three men's American Athletic Conference titles while the women won a pair of league championships in 2001 (ECAC) and 2003 (Conference USA).
As an assistant at ECU, Jabs coached multiple NCAA Championship qualifiers and individual conference champions. The athletes he mentored as an assistant posted 196 ECU all-time top-10 career performances and accounted for 35 records. His pupils also received the ECU Most Outstanding Swimmer Award seven times and its Most Improved Swimmer Award eight times.
As a member of the coaching staff in 2013-14, Jabs helped the women’s squad post the only undefeated regular season by an ECU female athletic program in school history. Neither the men’s nor women’s teams have finished below .500 during Jabs’ tenure.
A four-year letterman at ECU for Coach Kobe, Jabs was a two-time recipient of the program’s Most Outstanding Swimmer Award. As a senior, he served as team captain and posted the fastest 100-yard freestyle time in school history, which previously stood for more than 20 years, during his final meet. He was a multi-event Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship finalist and finished his career ranked among the school’s all-time top-10 in the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle.
A native of Vernon, Conn., Jabs graduated from East Carolina University in 2001 with a degree in exercise and sports science and a minor in recreation and leisure studies. He earned his master's degree in athletic and physical education administration two years later.
Jabs and his wife Jaclyn, also an ECU graduate and former athletic trainer, have two sons Evan (17) and Jackson (13).
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