The William & Mary women's swimming team is ready to open the 2018-19 season this weekend, hosting East Carolina on Saturday.  Action in the Rec Center Pool begins at 12 p.m., and can be followed online via live results on TribeAthletics.com.

Scouting the Tribe
W&M finished a narrow second at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships in 2017-18, its third year in a row of finishing either first or second in the league.  That followed one of the greatest regular seasons in school history, as the Tribe won a program-record 11 meets and went 11-2, with losses only to eventual CAA Champions James Madison and to East Carolina, both on the road.  W&M returns its top six scorers from a year ago, including 2018 CAA Rookie of the Year and 500 free champion Megan Bull (Hillsborough, N.J.), as well as 2016 CAA Rookie of the Year and 2018 400 IM champion Morgan Smith (Verona, N.J.) and the entirety of the gold medal-winning 800 free relay, which including Bull and Smith as well as Maria Oceguera (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Tara Tiernan (West Hartford, Conn.).  Also back are seniors Katie Sell (Fredericksburg, Va.), 239.25 points and seven wins on average over her first three years, and Annie Miller (Houston, Texas), who has averaged 197.25 points and almost five wins a year.

Scouting the Pirates
East Carolina began the season last weekend with a loss to North Carolina, after going 8-4 a year ago and finishing third in the American Athletic Conference.  Senior Catherine Johnson was the Pirates' top swimmer, winning the 100 free, while Stefanie Scherwitzel finished second in each of her individual events (100 free, 200 free) and also swam anchor on the winning 400 free relay.

The Series
- Former CAA rivals, W&M and East Carolina are meeting for the 41st time dating back to 1969-70.  The Pirates lead the series, 35-5, with the last Tribe win coming at home on Nov. 13, 1988.

Notes
- W&M returns 71.8% of its scoring from a year ago, including each of the top-6 points scorers from last year.

- The Tribe has won four of the last five CAA Rookie of the Year awards, and has a class of seven freshmen who will aim to continue that tradition this year.

- W&M is on an seven-meet home winning streak, dating back to a loss against East Carolina on Senior Day of the 2014-15 season.  That is tied for the second-longest streak ever, behind only a 34-meet streak that ran from the founding of the program in 1964-65 until the 1972-73 season.

- Head Coach Matt Crispino '02 begins his 12th season at the helm of alma mater, and last year became the all-time winningest women's coach in school history.  Crispino is 65-41 (.613) with the men's team and 82-48 (.631) with the women, for a combined record of 147-89 (.623) and six CAA Team Championships.