ECU Welcomes 14 Newcomers For The 2018-19 Campaign

GREENVILLE, N.C. --- The ECU women's swimming and diving team has added 14 newcomers to its 2018-19 squad announced head coach Matthew Jabs on Monday.

The newcomers hail from five states and three foreign countries: Brazil, England, and Israel. Eleven of the incoming student-athletes will compete in various swimming events with three freshmen set to join the diving squad.

"We faced a tall task this recruiting cycle," Jabs said. "After we graduated a large and talented group of seniors our goal was to sign a large class and that's exactly what we were able to do.

"Associate Head Coach Kate Moore is our recruiting coordinator, and I let her take the lead. She did an excellent job and under her direction and we just took it to another level this season."

Among those joining the program for the 2018-19 campaign are North Carolina prep swimmers Morgan Despres (Greenville), Kathryn Morrison (Salisbury) and Emily Schoonhagen (Greensboro) along with diver Mary Katherine White (Lexington).

Four newcomers hail from the state of Virginia: Lacey Kramer (Mechanicsville), Chelsea Marstellar (Newport News), Randi Palandro (Chesapeake) with Mary Alice Dupree (Charleston, S.C.), Alexis Edmonds (Henderson, Nevada) and Mary Walker (Sinking Spring, Pa.) also joining the team from out-of-state.

The Pirates' also secured four international commitments for the upcoming season: Shannon Stott (St. Albans, England), Marianna Vignoli (Porto Alegre, Brazil), Karen Wasserman (Netanya, Israel) and Lily West (Stevenage, England).

2018-19 ECU WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING NEWCOMERS

Morgan Despres 5'7, Freshman- Sprint Freestyle
Hometown: Greenville, N.C. Club Team: East Carolina Aquatics
Intended Major: Undecided

Top Ranking: NC Top 25 – CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 50 Free 23.86, 100 Free 51.66, 200 Free 1:52.23
Coach's Thoughts – Being a Greenville native, we have kept an eye on Morgan for a few years. Coach Charles does an excellent job in educating his athletes about training, and what's needed to be successful. Morgan is a talented swimmer who could have a very bright future.

Mary Alice Dupree 5'6, Freshman - Butterfly/Sprint Freestyle
Hometown: Charleston, S.C Club Team: Wahoo Aquatic Club
Intended Major: Undecided

Top Ranking: SC Top 10 – CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 100 Fly 57.87, 50 Free 24.44
Coach's Thoughts - A raw athlete looking to make an impact early in her career. Will add depth to our Butterfly group, and have an opportunity to contribute on relays and in sprint freestyle events.

Alexis Edmonds 4'11, Freshman – Diver
Hometown: Henderson, Nev. Club Team: Rebel Diving Club
Intended Major: Nutrition

Coach's Thoughts - A powerful diver that has the ability to learn the more difficult dives. She has a high ceiling and can compete on all three levels. I am excited to see her grow in the sport.

Lacey Kramer 5'10, Freshman - Backstroke/Middle Distance Free
Hometown: Mechanicsville, Va. Club Team: Poseidon Swim Club
Intended Major: Business

Top Ranking: Va. Top 60 - CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 200 Back 2:04.28, 200 Free 1:53.61, 500 Free 5:03.73
Coach's Thoughts – Comes to us from one of the primer programs in Richmond. Lacey will add depth to our middle-distance events, both in freestyle and backstroke.

Chelsea Marstellar 5'7, Freshman - IM/Butterfly
Hometown: Newport News, Va. Club Team: Coast Guard Blue Dolphins
Intended Major: Psychology

Top Ranking: Va. Top 50 - CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 50 Free 24.43, 100 Fly 57.68, 400 IM 4:28.16
Coach's Thoughts - Well-rounded swimmer who has potential to help in many events. Her continued development should be fun to watch.

Kathryn Morrison 5'3, Freshman - Backstroke/Sprint Fly
Hometown: Salisbury, N.C. Club Team: Enfinity Aquatic Club
Intended Major: Nursing

Top Ranking: NC Top 20 Recruit – CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 100 Back 54.83, 100 Fly 55.27, 200 Back 2:02.61
Coach's Thoughts - Excited to have Kat with us. Should be a great fit in our stroke group, and has the potential to make an immediate impact in our Backstroke, and Sprint Butterfly events.

Randi Palandro 5'7, Freshman - Sprint Free/Sprint Fly
Hometown: Chesapeake, Va. Club Team: East Coast Aquatic Team
Intended Major: Undecided

Top Ranking: Va. Top 70 – CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 50 Free 24.16, 100 Free 53.64
Coach's Thoughts - As a multi-sport athlete she has the tools to be very good. Only recently has she dedicated all her time to the sport of swimming, and in that short time she has made big improvements. We see her as someone who is going to just get faster.

Emily Schoonhagen 5'8, Freshman - Sprint Freestyle
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C. Club Team: Enfinity Aquatic Club
Intended Major: Exercise Science

Top Ranking: NC Top 30 – CollegeSwimming.com
Top Times: 50 Free 23.62, 100 Free 51.99, 100 Back 57.86
Coach's Thoughts – Emily has the potential to really explode this season. We'll have a young group of sprinters, and will look for Emily to contribute right away.

Shannon Stott 5'6, Freshman – Butterfly
Hometown: St. Albans, Great Britain Club Team: Hatfield Swimming Club
Intended Major: Kinesiology

Top Times: 100 Fly 1:02.27 LCM, 200 Fly 2:16.63 LCM
Coach's Thoughts – Shannon will be a terrific addition to our fly group, and we expect her to have an impact on both our roster and within the American Athletic Conference.

Mariana Vignoli 5'7, Freshman – Freestyle
Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil Club Team: Gramio Nautico
Intended Major: Undecided

Top Times: 200 Free 2:03.34 lcm, 400 Free 4:18.66 lcm, 800 Free 9:02.66 lcm, 10K Open Water
Coach's Thoughts - Mariana made dramatic improvement this spring. Really pleased with what she is bringing to our team, and I'm excited about her potential impact in the conference. We will look to her as one of our top freestyle swimmers for years to come.

Mary Warker 5'4, Freshman – Diver
Hometown: Sinking Spring, Pa. Club Team: West Chester Diving
Intended Major: Marketing

Coach's Thoughts - Mary comes from a diving family and strong club program. She is a polished diver and will have an immediate impact on our team. Specializing in tower, Mary will be able to contribute on all three levels.

Keren Wasserman 5'11, Freshman – Breaststroke
Hometown: Netanya, Isreal Club Team: Hapoel Dolphin Netanya
Intended Major: Graphic Design

Top Times: 100 Breaststroke 1:11.59 SCM, 200 Breaststroke 2:34.88 SCM
Coach's Thoughts - Keren is a strong swimmer, who will not only add depth but will have the opportunity to be a significant contributor in both breaststroke events.

Lily West                                                              5'4, Graduate Student - Breaststroke/IM
Hometown: Stevenage, Great Britain                   University Of Bath
Intended Major: Masters in Sport Management

Top Times: 200 IM 2:16.38 SCM, 100 Breaststroke 1:09.37 SCM 200 Breaststroke 2:29.93 SCM
Coach's Thoughts - A very good breaststroker and IMer. We will look to Lily to be a leader in her events as we move forward.

Mary Katherine White 5'5, Freshman -Diver
Hometown: Lexington, N.C. Club Team: Ultimate Air Diving Club
Intended Major: Special Education

Coach's Thoughts - Kat is relatively new to the sport, but possesses a lot of raw talent. Kat has improved greatly in such a brief time and has the potential to be an immediate contributor to our team.

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