Swimming And Diving Adds To Recruiting Class
June 29, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University Swimming and Diving Head Coach Rick Kobe rounded out his recruiting class by adding five new student-athletes during the spring signing period. The Pirates received commitments to its women's team from Marion Abert, Yara Fakhry and Victoria Gillet, while Josh Parmenter and Thomas Reams made their pledge to the men's team.
The ladies join the foursome of Kaitlyn Hauser, Catherine Johnson, Sophie McNeil and Stefanie Scherwitzel, who each committed to ECU during the fall signing period.
"I am very pleased with the group we will be adding to our team," Kobe said of the women's squad. "It's a diverse group that is extremely talented. My staff has done an excellent job recruiting, and putting in the hours that give us the opportunity to attract these types of athletes. We cannot wait to get them on campus and competing for the Pirates next fall."
The addition of Parameter and Reams brings the total number of commitments for the men's program to five after Blaz Demsar, Ryan Owens and Grega Popovic decided to join during the fall signing period.
"Replacing back to back championship classes has not been easy," Kobe said of the men's team. "We feel this could be one of those special groups that can be a foundation for our future. We will be adding some very talented and experienced swimmers, who will be relied on heavily next season. Each of these young men have the potential to significantly impact our pursuit of a third championship next season."
The class is a geographically diverse one as the 12 student-athletes come from six different countries, including Australia, Belgium, Egypt, France, Slovenia and United States. There are three North Carolina natives in the group.
| EAST CAROLINA SWIMMING AND DIVING SIGNING CLASS | ||||
| Name | Event(s) | Hometown | Club | Previous School |
| Marion Abert | Freestyle | Toulon, France | Les Dauphins du Toec | |
| Blaz Demsar | Fly/Freestyle | Ljublijana, Slovenia | Olimpija Swim Club | |
| Yara Fakhry | Breaststroke/IM | Cairo, Egypt. | Grand Canyon University | |
| Victoria Gillet | Fly/IM | Verciers, Belgium | Verviers Natation Swim Club | |
| Kaitlyn Hauser | Freestyle | Estero, Fla. | Swim Florida | Estero High School |
| Catherine Johnson | Sprint Free | Silver Springs, Md. | Rockville Montgomery Swim Club | Springbrook Senior High School |
| Sophie McNeill | Backstroke/Sprint Free | Durham, N.C. | Carolina Aquatics | Riverside High School |
| Ryan Owens | Sprint Free | Douglasville, Pa. | Boyertown YMCA | Daniel Boone High School |
| Josh Parmenter | Breaststroke/IM | San Diego, Calif. | Rancho San Deguito Swim Team | Sam Marcos High School |
| Grega Popovic | Freestyle | Maribor, Slovenia | Branik Maribor Swim Club | |
| Thomas Reams | Sprint Free/Back | Durham, N.C. | Cheyenne Swim Club | Southwestern Oregon College |
| Stefanie Scherwitzel | Freestyle | Adelaide, Australia | Playoff Aquatic Club | |
ECU COACHES ON THE SPRING SIGNEES
On Marion Abert: "Marion is someone we have been working with for a long time. She will join us for one season as she pursues her master's degree in sports science. She is an extremely talented swimmer, who should break our varsity records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle events next season. She should also be a major player at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships."
On Yara Fakhry: "Yara was a late addition to our recruiting class. She is a very talented IM and 200 breaststroke swimmer. She will have two years of eligibility remaining and we expect her to be a strong contributor at The American Championships next spring."
On Victoria Gillet: "We are very happy Victoria chose East Carolina University. We expect her to help fill the hole left by the graduation of one of our all-time top flyers last season. Her versatility will make her very valuable throughout the entire season."
On Josh Parmenter: "Josh was a late addition to the men's class. He had a great recruiting visit, and we felt he could have an immediate impact next season. We are excited to have him with us. He will be one of the freshman with the opportunity to take over the top spots in our breaststroke events as his career progresses."
On Thomas Reams: "Thomas will add some experience to a young group of sprinters next season. He is a proven leader. Before leaving Southwestern Oregon a leadership award bearing his name was created by the athletic department. That says a lot about the type of kid we are getting. We look forward to having him in the mix next season."
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