From Fetzer To Finley

January 21, 2004 | Swimming & Diving

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Jan. 21, 2004

Associate Athletic Communications Director

The University of North Carolina possesses one of the nation's top traditions in swimming and diving and the exploits of the 2003-04 Tar Heel men's and women's swimming and diving teams could add to the litany of honors won by Carolina teams over the years. Starting with a January 25th meet against Virginia, North Carolina enters the meat of its conference schedule that concludes with the conference championship meets in Charlottesville, Va. With 32 combined men's and women's ACC championships, North Carolina is the winningest swimming program in ACC history and the Tar Heels would like to add to that treasure trove next month.

Despite some major graduation losses from last season, the Tar Heels will likely field teams this season that are again right in the thick of competition for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a Top 20 placing at the NCAA Championships. The women's team returns a total of 21 letter winners from the 2002-03 season, while the Tar Heel men's squad features 20 returning lettermen. The Carolina women have lost 11 letter winners from the 2002-03 squad while UNC's men lost 10 lettermen from last year;s outstanding team.

Such is the Tar Heel tradition in swimming that Carolina's women's team has never had a losing record and the men last had a losing record in 1939. UNC's women have finished either first or second at every ACC championship meet ever held. The Carolina men have finished first, second or third at every ACC meet ever conducted. The consistency of the program speaks volumes. UNC swimming teams may have years when they are not as good as previous teams but never has the bottom ever fallen out of the program.

One of the first things Comfort did when he sat down to assess the prospects for the 2003-04 season was to count up the losses to attrition. An outstanding group of recruits joined the Tar Heels on both the men's and women's sides, but due diligence must be paid to what has also left the program.

Among the losses for the women was the amazing Christy Watkins, a four-time All-America. Watkins was the ACC champion in the 50-yard freestyle for four straight years from 2000-03 and she also won three ACC titles in the 100-yard backstroke. Also gone was Laura Collier, 2003 ACC champion in the 200-yard backstroke and ACC record holder in the event. Another top loss was Janna Turner, a two-year team captain and one of the great leaders in Carolina swimming history.

On the men's side Carolina had lost 200-yard breaststroke school record holder Sean Quinn, a three-time All-America in the event and the ACC champion in 2000 and 2003. Also gone were a pair of All-Atlantic Coast Conference performers -- diver Stephen Krebs and distance swimmer Stephen Mohr. Still there is plenty of talent remaining in the Tar Heel camp - certainly enough to make Comfort and his charges confident they will be able to make another run at a pair of ACC titles.

The core of the women's team will be centered on four outstanding senior swimmers. This group includes senior NCAA champion freestyler Jessi Perruquet, senior All-America breaststroker Becky Acker, senior All-America butterflier Kelly Weeks and senior NCAA qualifier and freestyler Whitney Smith. These swimmers have been the nucleus that led the Tar Heels to a ninth-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championships, a 13th-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships and a 17th-place finish at the 2003 NCAA Championships.

Behind this group of legitimate stars UNC boasts a strong cast of returning letter winners who will hopefully provide the depth necessary to lead the Tar Heels to another ACC championship this season, the school's 16th. Four UNC divers return - seniors Jennifer Rehm, Lindsay Waddell and Elizabeth Misiti and sophomore gia Santoro. Other senior returning letter winners include butterflier Gena Bittner and freestyler Courtney Lewis. Returning in the ranks of the juniors are butterflier Jessie Brosch, freestyler Virginia Hanson and backstroker Kathleen Quinn. The sophomore returnees are headed up by breaststroker Elizabeth Bruce, freestyler Emily Carroll, butterflier Megan Chenier, backstroker Mary Margaret Gamblin, freestyler Allison Herman, freestyler Lelia Martin, backstroker Meghan Nystrand and individual medleyist Amanda Smith.

On the men's side, Carolina will be led by an outstanding senior class which is headed up by 2003 All-America Yuri Suguiyama as well as All-ACC diver Eric Poitras and All-ACC freestylers Justin Donato and Michael Pigassou.

Suguiyama won the first ACC championship of his career in 2003 as he took top honors in the 200-yard freestyle, leading a 1-2-3 Tar Heel finish in the event as Donato placed second and Pigassou third. It was the first time since 1996 that UNC had swept the top three places in an event at the ACC Championships. Suguiyama, who will co-captain the 2003-04 with fellow senior Dan Vick, went on to consolation finalist finishes in both the 500 freestyle and 1650 freestyle at the NCAA Championships.

Poitras earned All-ACC honors for the second straight year in 2003 and went on to final on both boards at the summer 2003 Canadian National Diving Championships.

Other senior lettermen are butterflier Casey Coble, who finaled in three events at the 2003 ACC Championships, breaststroker Sinisa Haberle and backstroker Jimmy Owens.

Returning junior lettermen are backstroker John Hartmann, individual medleyist Griff Helfrich, butterflier Eddy Matkovic, freestyler/butterflier Eric Mohr, backstroker/freestyler Reid Owen, and backstroker Jimmy Owens. Matkovic had a breakthrough year in 2003 as he won the ACC title in the 100-yard butterfly and qualified for the NCAA Championships.

The sophomore class includes freestyler Jon Albrecht, butterflier/individual medleyist Chad Ames, All-Atlantic Coast Conference butterflier Josh Glasco, diver Ryan Matuszak, backstroker/freestyler Jon Van Assen, diver Josh Weavil and freestyler/breaststroker Patrick Woodruff.