GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women’s swimming and diving put together another successful season in the pool and on the diving boards after posting an 8-3 dual meet record finishing sixth in the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championships.

On the year, the Pirates tallied 34 season-best and 41 program career-best performances, while in the AAC Championships, they had 39 total finalists (13 A Finalists, 13 B Finalists, 13 C Finalists).

“We took a big step forward this season overall,” ECU Head Coach Matthew Jabs said. “We had some good things happen at the AAC Championship, we also learned we have a lot to improve upon when on that stage. I’m excited about the future, and the returning talent on this roster, as well as the athletes we will be adding in the fall.”

Freshman Frida Zuniga Guzman, who was a mid-year transfer, established two ECU records (one varsity, one freshman) in the platform dive posting a score of 229.25 at the AAC Championships besting the previous mark of 219.20 by Mary Warker in 2019. She was also the Pirates’ top point scorer on the week collecting 75 points while placing in the top 8 in three different events. Guzman also holds the third-best 3-meter dive standard (306.10/AAC Championships) and the fourth-best 1-meter dive score (271.45/AAC Championships).

Senior Caitlin Reynera closed out her career at the AAC Championships by earning 61 total points with a pair of top 8 finishes and one top 16 placement. She placed seventh in the 200 breaststroke, eighth in the 100 breaststroke and 11th in the 200 IM. Reynera posted the fourth fastest time in program history in the 100 breaststroke at the WVU Invitational with a time of 1:01.85 and the seventh best time in the 200 IM (2:02.43) at the AAC Championships this spring.

Graduate student Brynna Wolfe set the varsity record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.49 at the AAC Championships, while posting the third-best time all-time in the 200 backstroke (1:59.20) at the WVU Invitational. She scored 48 conference points and placed in the top 8 in a pair of events (fifth/100 backstroke and seventh/200 backstroke).

Freshman Heidi Bruining set the ECU freshman record in the 200 breaststroke at the AAC Championships with a time of 2:16.98, which also ranks eighth all-time in program history. She owns the seventh fastest time in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.92) at the WVU Invitational.

In the diving well, all four of ECU’s divers (Guzman, Flanary Patterson, Anna Otto and Caitlin Irvine-Smith) qualified for the NCAA Zones.

“Coach Ryan (McIntire) did a great job this season with the divers having all four qualify for NCAA Zones with the opportunity to earn an invitation to the NCAA Championship,” Jabs added.

Patterson ranks sixth all-time in the platform dive after posting a score of 185.80 at the WVU Invitational. She also stands ninth in the 3-meter dive annuals after her score of 274.60, which was also at the WVU Invitational.

ECU All-Time Top 10 Performances From 2022-23 Season

Heidi Bruining (Fr.): 100 Breaststroke (seventh/1:02.92); 200 Breaststroke (eighth/2:16.98)

Sadie Covington (Fr.): 1000 Freestyle (ninth/10:12.37); 1650 Freestyle (16:57.69)

Frida Zuniga Guzman (Fr.): Platform (first/229.25); 1-Meter Dive (fourth/271.45); 3-Meter Dive (third/306.10)

Sara Kalawska (Fr.): 100 Butterfly (t5th/54.70)

Laura Kellberg (So.): 50 Freestyle (sixth/23.08)

Flanary Patterson (Jr.): Platform (sixth/185.80); 3-Meter Dive (ninth/274.60)

Caitlin Reynera (Sr.): 100 Breaststroke (fourth/1:01.85); 200 IM (seventh/2:02.43)

Polina Rukosuev (Sr.): 500 Freestyle (t5th/4:50.47); 1000 Freestyle (fourth/10:01.15); 1650 Freestyle (fourth/16:36.86)

Brynna Wolfe (Gr.): 100 Backstroke (first/54.49); 200 Backstroke (third/1:59.20)