East Carolinian

Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Travis Bartlett

Media Credit: Travis Bartlett

ECU's swimming and diving teams are quietly having the best seasons in the program's history.

Success in the 2009 Conference USA Championships (Feb. 25-28), which began yesterday in Houston, will go a long way in helping the program make an even bigger splash on campus.

The men's squad (8-1-1) is attempting to capture its first C-USA team title, while the women (10-1) are moving toward their second title in team history.

The program's 18-2 dual meet record marks the highest combined winning percentage in school history.

"The thing that I'm most proud of is the consistency of our team," said Head Coach Rick Kobe. "Every year we get faster. We continue to re-set varsity records, which means the program is getting better."

In addition to ECU, the women's competition includes Houston, Marshall, Rice, and SMU.

SMU, No. 17 in the nation, is the overwhelming favorite; the Mustangs own the top times in the conference in nearly every individual or team swimming event this season. The only exceptions are times in the 1650-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard Individual Medley - all of those times belong to Houston swimmers.

Senior Amanda Duncan recorded another outstanding season for the Pirates, posting top team times in the 100 and 200-yard fly. Duncan is undefeated in the 100 and has lost only once in the 200. But she faces a stern test in the 100 from SMU's Elzanne Werth and Sasha Schwendenwein, the only two swimmers in C-USA to have posted better times in the event.

In addition to team competition, both swimmers and divers face the added pressure if hitting NCAA qualifying times and scores. Duncan has one of the best chances of anyone on the squad to meet those NCAA standards.

"She has the potential to get very close to that NCAA cut," Kobe said of Duncan.

Two weeks ago, Duncan and freshman diver Katie Yamamoto swept the C-USA Swimmer and Diver-of-the-Week awards after strong showings in a dual meet against William and Mary.

Houston and SMU are adept in diving as well as swimming; Houston's Anastasia Pozdniakova owns the conference's top scores in both three and one meter diving.

The men's competition includes C-USA foe SMU (No. 19) and Hawaii, an invited participant.

Sophomore distance swimmer Thiago Cavalcanti has momentum on his side after capturing first place honors in three events (200-yard fly, 400 IM, and 1,000-yard freestyle) against William and Mary.

Like Duncan, Cavalcanti also has hopes of cracking an NCAA qualifying time.

"This season I'm trying to break my times from last season," said Cavalcanti. "And I'm also trying to get my NCAA 'B' cut."

Both the men and women have been aided by strong performances from underclassmen - not a coincidence in this sport.

"If your freshmen don't have a big impact, you haven't done a very good job recruiting," Kobe said. "Swimming is really different from other sports. You don't really mature into it. You're ready to go. Our freshmen class needs to be the most talented class. And that's been the case in swimming and diving."

Freshman Caitlin Marsilii has top team times in the 1000 and 1650-yard freestyle and classmate Kelsey Brosi owns the 100 and 200-yard backstroke team times. Sophomore Jenna Stewart claims the top spot in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle.

Yamamoto and freshman Meghan Coyne have been stellar off the planks, each having earned C-USA Diver-of-the-Week honors.

Freshman Ailton Temotio and Cavalcanti have dominated the top team times on the men's side. Temotio is tops in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard fly. Cavalcanti is one of three sophomores to have a top time and lays claim to four events, while freshman Travis Stauder has the best time in the 200-yard IM.

Cavalcanti, a native of Pernambuco, Brazil, credits Kobe for instilling confidence and strong work ethic in all of his swimmers.

"I think he can motivate people a lot," he said. "Especially me, since I'm away from my family and away from my country."

Kobe, in his 27th year at ECU, has built one of the school's most successful programs and is now the longest tenured head coach on campus. He is especially proud of the staff he has developed over the years; three of his former assistants have gone on to head up their own programs at other schools.

Diving coach Rich MacDonald has been instrumental in building the diving side of the program in his nine years at ECU.

"He was a big part of the reason I came here," Yamamoto said of MacDonald. "I liked his coaching style and the way he interacted with his divers."

While the sport struggles to compete in popularity with higher profile sports on campus, Kobe's teams are slowly but surely earning recognition.

"We had two meets that were standing room only," Kobe said of the crowds at the Minges Aquatic Center. "And our last meet, we had people that could not get in the door."

At the rate the program continues to grow, don't expect the line to get any shorter.



This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.

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