Pirates Add Six Swimmers For 2011-12
May 10, 2011 | Swimming & Diving
May 10, 2011
GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Six high school student-athletes have committed this spring to attend and compete as members of the East Carolina men and women's swimming and diving team for the 2011-12 season announced head coach Rick Kobe Tuesday.
The Pirates will add Jeffrey Mead (Lexington, S.C.), Ben Miller (Martinez, Ga.), Nikola Simic (Novi Sod, Serbia) and Dan Woods (Pontypool, UK) to the men's roster, while the ladies will welcome Lauren Chew (Gibbstown, N.J.) and Charlsie Lincoln (Raleigh, N.C.) to the team this fall.
As a sprinter, Mead led Lexington (S.C.) High School to the 2010 4A state championship and won individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke while helping the 4x100 freestyle relay team to a first-place finish. Miller is also a backstroke and freestyle swimmer, but competes in the middle-distance events. He was a four-time finalist at the Georgia High School State Championships and an eight-time Georgia All-Star Swimmer.
Simic and Woods both join the Pirates from outside the United States. Simic was a four-time junior national champion in Serbia, while Woods was a sliver medalist in the national youth championships in Great Britain. Simic's primary events are the 100 and 200-yard freestyle and Woods' main events are the 100 and 200-yard butterfly.
Chew was a finalist at the New Jersey High School State Championships as well as sectional qualifier. Lincoln was also a sectional qualifier. Chews' foremost events are the 200 and 500-yard freestyle with the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke being Lincoln's chief events.
The Pirates recently held their end of the year banquet and recognized several individuals for their exceptional performances throughout the season. Seniors Jenna Stewart and Thiago Cavalcanti were named the team's Most Outstanding Swimmers and junior Meghan Coyne was the recipient of the Most Outstanding Diver Award.
The Most Improved Swimmer Award was given to Kristen Giese and J.D. Flanagan with Tyler Dunsmore being presented the Most Improved Diver Award. Freshmen Anna Gibbas and Attila Kiraly were voted women and men's Rookie-of-the-Year, and freshman swimmer Meaghan Rauscher and sophomore Kirstie Russell received the Coaches Award.
As a team this season, the Pirates had 19 individual All-Conference USA performances with nine NCAA `B' qualifiers. A total of nine varsity records and five freshman records were established with 36 all-time top-10 performances.
The Pirates also had 30 individuals named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll, seven of whom earned the C-USA Academic Medal.
