ECU Completes Fall Season With Top Times And Scores

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women's swimming and diving team completed the fall portion of its 2023-24 schedule posting a 6-0 record in dual meets while establishing 80 season best and 22 lifetime best performances. Recently head coach Matt Jabs' squad placed third at the West Virginia Invitational (second consecutive year) capping off the fall semester.

"As coaches we are very pleased with the week we had in West Virginia," Jabs said. "Our upperclassmen swam/dove well, and I saw a lot of improvement out of our sophomores not only from a swimming perspective but also from a preparation and mental aspect of a long meet like this one. Our freshman had more ups then downs and did extremely well in their first big college meet.

"Every program has a different approach to mid-season invites. For some, team's overall finish is a big priority. How they enter their kids in events and the approach they take to meet shows that. We approach it a little differently, our priority focuses on what's best for each athlete, and if that means swimming fewer events then that's what we do. Overall team finish is not our top priority. Our goals with all mid-season invites are to be the best we've been so far in that season, and to put our athletes in position to swim fast and dive well in preparation for a championship meet setting. If we are successful in doing those things, we can consider it a successful meet wherever we finish. Typically, if we are focused on those details, and execute the team finish takes care of itself, and gives us a good idea of where we need to go moving forward.

During the three-day event in Morgantown, WVa., the Pirates won the 800 freestyle relay posting a time of 7:24.76 behind the swimming efforts of Sadie Covington, Emilee Hamblin, Heidi Bruining and Carlie Clements. Kaylee Hamblin set a new team record in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.66) while Clements posted the fastest freshman time (program history) in the 100 free (50.60) placing third and earning 27 points. Caitlin Irvine-Smith placed seventh in the 1- and 3-meter dives earning 23 points in each event and setting a season and lifetime best score of 237.95 in the 3-meter dive.

In addition to the season and lifetime best performances, there were nine ECU Top 10 all-time performances, two NCAA Championship "B" Qualifiers to go along with an ECU record (K. Hamblin/100 breaststroke) and one ECU freshman record (Clements/100 free). The Pirates had nine top three finishes, 16 Championship A Finalists, 14 Championship B Finalists, five Championship C Finalists and five Championship D Finalists.

Top 3 Individual Finishes
K. Hamblin – 100 breaststroke – second place
K. Hamblin – 200 breaststroke – second place
C. Clements – 100 freestyle – third place
E. Hamblin – 200 freestyle – third place
E. Hamblin – 500 freestyle – third place

Top 3 Relay Finishes
Covington, E. Hamblin, Bruining, Clements – 800 freestyle relay – first place
Clements, E. Hamblin, Bruining, Laura Kellberg – 400 freestyle relay – second place
Clements, Kellberg, Ava Iannetta, Mikayla Durkin – 200 freestyle relay – third place
Brynna Wolfe, K. Hamblin, Sara Kalawska, Clements – 200 medley relay – third place

ECU will return to the pool and diving well on January 6, 2024 when it hosts Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. for Parents Weekend and Senior Day inside Minges Natatorium.

Players Mentioned

Heidi Bruining

Carlie Clements

Sadie Covington

Mikayla Durkin

Emilee Hamblin

Kaylee Hamblin

Ava Iannetta

Caitlin Irvine-Smith

Sara Kalawska

Laura Kellberg

Brynna Wolfe

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