April 27, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina head swimming coach Frank Comfort announced Thursday the addition of four more recruits who will join the Tar Heel program for the 2006-07 season. Three men and one woman are amongst the prospective student-athletes and they join a group of five women and two men who signed with Carolina during the fall recruiting period last November.

The four recruits are Jason McLaughlin, Zach DeVault, Spencer Biedrzycki and Sarah Stankavage. McLaughlin recently signed a National Letter of Intent while the other three have formally accepted admission to the University.

Stankavage is the oldest daughter of Sue Walsh, the most outstanding female swimmer in Atlantic Coast Conference history. Walsh won 11 national collegiate championship and 15 individual Atlantic Coast Conference titles from 1981-84 under the tutelage of Frank Comfort at North Carolina. Stankavage is a native of Durham, N.C. and has swum for UNC assistant coach Randy Erlenbach in his role as head coach of the North Carolina Aquatic Club. Her career best times are 24.15 in the 50-yard freestyle, 52.61 in the 100-yard freestyle and 57.80 in the 100-yard butterfly.

McLaughlin is a native of White Plains, N.Y., where he attends White Plains High School. An outstanding distance performer, McLaughlin has career bests of 9:24.30 in the 1000-yard freestyle, 15:30.99 in the 1650-yard freestyle, 4:33.12 in the 500-yard freestyle and 4:04.32 in the 400-yard individual medley.

DeVault is a native of Atlantic Beach, Fla. He attends Episcopal High School of Jacksonville, Fla. After a long career as a youth soccer player, DeVault took up swimming two years ago and has gone 21.40 in the 50-yard freestyle. He is coach by Mitch Ivery at Episcopla Amberjacks.

Biedrzycki is the younger brother of Andrew Biedrzycki who swam for coach Frank Comfort on Tar Heel teams from 1999-2002. The younger Biedrzycki is a native of Charlotte, N.C., where he attends Myers Park High School. He competes in club swimming for Mecklenburg Aquatics under the leadership of coach David Gibson. He has a career best time of 59.90 in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Carolina also signed two men's swimmers last fall.

Jeff James of Chapel Hill, N.C., attends Chapel Hill High School and has done his club swimming for the North Carolina Aquatic Club and coach Randy Erlenbach. He is a senior nationals qualifer in U.S. Swimming circles. Primarily a middle distance freestyler, his career best times include 1:39.86 in the 200-yard freestyle, 45.85 in the 100-yard freestyle, 50.87 in the 100-yard backstroke, 1:48.20 in the 200-yard backstroke, 1:53.69 in the 200-yard individual medley and 3:57.09 in the 400-yard individual medley.

Chip Peterson of Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., who swims for coach Charlie Gregalis at the Carteret Currents Swim Club, captured the world championship in 10-kilometer open water swimming last summer in Montreal, Quebec. He also took home the silver medal in the five-kilometer open water swimming event. He was one of three finalists for the 2005 Golden Goggles Award which is awarded by U.S. Swimming to the Breakout Swimmer of the Year. Peterson formerly trained under coach Catherine Vogt who was an assistant with the Carteret Currents before becoming a full-time assistant coach at UNC in August 2005.

The five fall semester signees for the women were Eliza Butts of Weston, Mass., Alison Clemens of Staten Island, N.Y., Anne Norton of Charlotte, N.C., Megan Steeves of Newark, Del., and Barbara Thomas of Plantation, Fla.

Butts attends Weston High School and she swims for the New England Barracudas, who are coached by former UNC four-year swimming letterman Chuck Batchelor, Class of `92. A senior national qualifier, she has career best times of 23.49 at 50 yards, 50.27 at 100 yards and 1:49.96 at 200 yards in the freestyle events.

Clemens attends St. Joseph By The Sea High School and swims for coach Brian Brown at Asphalt Green Aquatics in Manhattan. She was a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in 2004 and has also been a U.S. Swimming senior national qualifier. She is an excellent breaststroke and IM swimmer. Her best times are 1:02.89 and 2:16.18 in the breaststroke events and 2:02.57 in the 200 IM. She has also gone 2:05.77 in the 200 back, 4:19.41 in the 400 IM and 52.04 in the 100 free.

Norton swims for coach Dave Gibson at Mecklenburg Aquatic Club. She is a senior national qualifier with top times in long course meters of 1:14.99 in the 100 breaststroke and 2:37.83 in the 200 breaststroke. Norton attends Providence High School.

Steeves competes for coach Jay Lynch at Delaware Swim Team. She attends St. Mark's High School. Her personal top times are 23.73,51.16 and 1:50.45 in the 50, 100 and 200 frees and 56.83 and 2:03.73 in the 100 and 200 backstrokes.

Finally, St. Thomas Aquinas High School attendee Thomas is a senior national qualifier with experience in a bevy of events. She has gone 26.50 long course in the 50-meter free and her top short course clockings are 23.69 and 52.38 in the 50 and 100 freestyles, 2:05.23 in the 200 IM, 58.10 in the 100 back and 1:05.45 in the 100 breast. She is a swimmer at Fort Lauderdale Aquatics and is coached by Duffy Dillon.