"As a parent, sending your first child off to college is one of the most emotional milestones you face, especially when that journey involves Division I athletics, where the headlines can sometimes be unsettling. From the very first conversation I had with Coach Jabs, he earned my trust. He spoke with honesty, clarity, and genuine care. Not just about performance in the pool, but about the well-being and growth of the young people he coaches. My daughter has faced her fair share of challenges during her time at ECU, and Coach Matthew Jabs has supported her through every step. His guidance has gone far beyond swim practices and competitions; he’s been a steady, encouraging presence through the ups and downs of college life. But from one parent to another, I can say with confidence that ECU Swim and Dive is a program where your child can truly thrive, both athletically and academically. They will be part of a team that feels like family, supported by coaches who genuinely care."

"I personally cannot wait for this next season to begin and for Coach Jabs to finally have a team that respects him. Jabs will go out on a limb for these ladies, supports them, encourages them, and heaven forbid… even correct them when necessary. He’s committed to making them better people and it’s clear that some just aren’t up for becoming better in the pool or life. "

"Jabs is a great guy and you can tell he loves ECU. He always believed in me and encouraged me to be myself in a sport where everyone is pretty cookie cutter and dare I say … Bland! most importantly, he prioritizes you as a person/academics over swim always. In my experience however, he is a bit disorganized and tends to be too involved with teammate drama. This always came off a bit unprofessional to me. "

"Throughout college swimming there are too many swimming coaches that have unchecked power and use it against their athletes. Not only would I not recommend the swim I wouldn’t recommend any athletic team as ECU. The upper compliance are not for the athletes they are for the money and after multiple mentions from athletes to them, nothing has done. College swimming is hard there is no doubt about it. But it shouldn’t be miserable and that’s what it can be at ECU if you’re not a favorite. I don’t discredit whoever has had great experiences under the coaching staff but unfortunately that is not the majority. Many people have transfered and found much more happiness and enjoyment in the sport then at ECU. LOOK ELSEWHERE this team is falling apart!! "

"I would not recommend any swimmer actually swim at ECU for Coach Jabs. He is rude, disrespectful, and doesn’t care about the swimmers. He picks and chooses favorites- and they are the ones who get coached. He causes drama amongst all the girls by choosing favorites- and doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter if you work hard, if you are not chosen as a favorite then he will actually do everything to try to make you quit. He doesn’t create a positive swim culture. It is an extremely toxic environment- stay away!"

"It seems that the tags are not available to describe the negative attributes of Coach Jabs. He has an old school mentality, not in a good way. He does not know about female bodies, nor does he care. He is not interested in honing his coaching skills as shown by his complete lack of participation in D1 Coaching resources. Reading through these comments, it's obvious that the team disagrees on what kind of Coach Jabs is. If he were a good coach and a positive influence on young athletes, I don't think there would be such disparity in the comments. There is absolutely favoritism and a toxic environment at ECU! Jabs frequently uses basketball analogies--- Pretty sure countless athletes have not left UConn or quit their beloved sport because of Gino Auriemma's negativity. This is not D1 sports. The world has evolved. Being harassed by a person of authority is not ok in the year 2025. Jabs is negative, rude, and immature. I do not know how he continues to have a job. Good for the confident women who expect more! They are the true leaders of this team. "

"He treated the swimmers like garbage — screaming, belittling, and breaking them down daily while pretending it was “discipline.” No. It was abuse. Psychological warfare, day in and day out, orchestrated by a man whose only real talent was making people hate the sport they once loved. The swimmers I know would come home completely drained — not just physically, but emotionally — because this hollow, soulless man made it his mission to ruin their spirits. He is the reason people quit sports, lose confidence, and start associating competition with trauma."

"Jabs negative record speaks volumes; many talented and passionate swimmers quit the sport they loved(and/or left the school) under his toxic leadership. He is immature, lies, plays favorites and breaks NCAA rules. I find it amazing the level of talent, discipline, and sacrifice required to swim at a mid D1 school, yet Jabs' outdated coaching, toxic and NEGATIVE culture, and immature ways are overlooked/protected by the administration. Come on ECU, You can do better! Even the athletes who support him, acknowledge that he is toxic. That is NOT D1 athletics. Shame on them for name calling their teammates, and perpetuating a toxic culture and coach. Name calling your teammates is a good and honest demonstration of what the team is really like, so I am sure future prospects will be able to read between the lines to clearly see the noxious pool that Jabs has fostered at Minges. How pitiful that these young athletes do not have enough confidence to demand a better situation for themselves and their team. Fear of retaliation much? Shout out to the athletes who continue to persevere despite the favoritism, negativity and the unfairness, keep getting stronger and faster! "

"Shouldn’t be coaching!! Toxic and no respect for swimmers or parents. Nothing positive!! "

"For anyone reading the nice comments below, please don't believe that & refer to the real comments even farther down about his poor coaching and being a poor excuse of a human being. The ones leaving the nice comments are clearly the ones who contributed to the toxic culture by being enablers. Jabs enables toddler like behavior such as tantrums & hissy fits because that is how he behaves as well! Athletes who bow down to him & meet his every need are the ones who get coached, it is not based on hard work at all. Exhibit A. shown below are the ones who clearly have had positive experiences from sucking up & worshipping the ground Coach Jabs walks on. If you want to get away with poor behavior this is the school for you!"

"Coach Jabs is an absolutely amazing coach and person. He believes in every single one of his swimmers and will do everything in his power to make us better athletes and people. He is motivational and he respects those who respect him. He is honest and will tell you that you have to put in the work to become better, not complain every practice and hide behind social media to try to “better” the program. This program is amazing and full of amazing girls who love and respect each other. While every experience at ECU is different mine has been amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love Jabs, I love this team, and I love ECU and anyone would be lucky to be able to be able to go to a school like this. "

"I can say as a swimmer who is fairly new to the team, Jabs has created a home for not only me as a swimmer, but as a person. In the last year, I have improved immensely with his coaching. Not only have I grown as an athlete, but I have grown as a teammate and person on his pool deck. At the beginning of my college career, I struggled a lot with the adjustment to the new environment. Jabs was always there providing me with an abundance of resources and reassuring me of the progress I was making. With his support, I am able to call ECU Swim & Dive my FAMILY. Now Division 1 swimming is not for the faint of heart and it takes a massive amount of dedication and commitment to be successful. Some would say Jabs chooses favorites, but I believe that is a circumstance in every program. The individuals who show up and give their all every single day are praised for their efforts. Jabs sees the potential in every athlete that jumps into his pool and pushes them to be the best version of themselves, especially in the classroom. He follows up on academics, personal issues, and schedule conflicts with more patience than the average individual is capable of. His knowledge and passion for the sport of swimming rubs off on the best of his athletes and has contributed to the teams success. I’m so grateful I get the opportunity to swim under his coaching."

"I genuinely have nothing nice to say about this man. I always thought that if a grown man was drinking on the job with being in charge of 25 girls then that would immediately raise a red flag but no. The girls that are coming on here and praising him have not been through 4 years of his terror. He shows very inappropriate favoritism and the girls that are coming on here saying “it’s just D1 athletics, it’s just how this works” make me sick. This man said “I only want to hire men because that’s how things will get done right” and then coaches an all women’s team and these girls still respect him is crazy to me and shows how crazy this team actually is! These negative comments go all the way back 2019. I have never been treated this badly like I was at ECU. "

"I never met anyone as committed to a program as Jabs is. East Carolina swim and dive is easily one of the most important things to him, and he expects his athletes to hold the program with the same importance. Jabs will not coddle you, will not tolerate anything less than your best effort, and will turn a cold shoulder on athletes who prove time and time again that they are unwilling to work. And you know what that's D1 swimming. No coach is entirely responsible for creating team culture, and Jabs did more than his part in facilitating team events hosting team bonding at his own home, taking time out of practice to address group issues, and when the underclassmen on the team told him they were having a meeting to discuss how they can make the team culture better when they were upperclassmen since the upperclassmen attitudes were so atrocious it was effecting all their experiences he bought them all their own pizza. It's true we had a 10 pm practice on new years eve to prevent girls from making irresponsible choices. It was the best practice ever, we did fun races and to this day the team laughs about it. It is also true that the team had to do a punishment run, but only the fastest girl on the team actually ran 7 miles. The punishment run was a generous punishment since half the team violated a contract they signed only 2 weeks before, most coaches would have kicked those athletes off their team, but Jabs made us run, and then fully forgave every athlete and never brought up the issue again. You can say Jabs has favorite athletes. His favorite athletes are the ones who are coachable and try their best every day. I am definitely not the best swimmer on the team, but Jabs continues to train me and ensures me that I will always have a place on the team if I continue to work hard. All the girls who want to berate his coaching style never attended optional swims nor took accountability for their career by going to him to ask for assistance. The lanes are not set up depending on how much Jabs likes each girl. They are split into practice groups to help individualize the training for each girl. HE customizes the groups and lanes every single day. Jabs also hired two young coaches in the 2024-2025 season. He has let them take the lead in multiple practices and has changed much of the practice style to match the style these coaches have seen competing at higher levels. Jabs is also understanding when it comes to personal life and academics he will let girls take time off of practice who are struggling a lot in school, he is on top of watching grades to make sure we are getting the help we need in school, and gets on our a*s to get help when are grades are slipping. He will also work with your school schedule even when he basically has to make you an entirely different weekly schedule. Jabs also stays appropriately involved in the athletes personal life, he will remember the different events going on in your life, and ask how they are going. As for the rumor training trip "drinking" this information was shared by an assistant coach who no longer works with the team who developed many unprofessional relationship with athletes and was out to harm Jabs reputation. Jabs works tirelessly to push this team to the next level. He has a big vision for the program. Jabs is a great coach but he is only human he is going to make mistakes the athletes coming on this site to bash on his reputation are not a reflection of East Carolina University, and are honestly cowards that they couldn't have a conversation with him. If you are thinking about coming to ECU please come on a visit. "

"Coach Jabs is one of the best coaches a division 1 swimmer could ask for. He treats each individual on his team with respect regardless of how they treat him. Each swimmer is given the same chance to succeed, but only a few take advantage of it and work hard, while the others will make excuses and run the coaches name into the ground because of their own lack of discipline, and hard work. Jabs door is always open to anyone, and he is always willing to listen and hear anyone out no matter what the situation might be. What he has built at ECU is something very special, and meaningful to many many people who have pride in this school. Jabs is honest, direct, and will always have your back, even out of the pool. Whether it’s recommendation letters, connections for jobs, or advocating for you when you need it, he is always there to help. Im proud of this team, and can’t wait to see what the future holds, especially with the amazing group of girls we will have this next season! "

"Before college swimming I was on the verge of walking away from the sport for good. My hs experience with the sport was defined by a coach who consistently abused his power using manipulation and fear as tools for control. Practices were filled with anxiety, not motivation. Every swim felt like a performance for approval rather than something I did because I loved it. That all changed when I came to ECU. From the beginning, Jabs created an environment that felt safe and comfortable. It’s clear that he genuinely cares about his swimmers not just as athletes, but as people. He pushes us in ways that help us grow without tearing us down. The contrast between my past and my experience with Jabs is night and day. I came back stronger, happier, and more confident than I ever thought I could be & I can’t thank him enough for making my D1 experience better than I ever could’ve expected."

"Coach Jabs shows inappropriate favoritism to certain girls on the team and has been since I was an athlete at ECU. (2016-2020) He only cares for certain swimmers and is incredibly rude to anyone outside that close circle. He does not make decisions that are best for the team or program, he only makes decisions that are best for him or his favorite group of athletes. Would not recommend this school with this coach unless you want to have a miserable 4 years. He consistently asks the alumni for money for his new program without having any contact or speaking to us at events we attend. Multiple athletes raised concerns to the athletic department about hiring his as the head coach when the program was reinstated and they did not listen. "

"Horrible women’s coach. Extremely misogynistic which is pretty bad given he’s coaches only WOMEN. Jabs favors certain girls in a predatory way. He treats the ones he doesn’t like dirt on the ground. Also he is so narcissistic and should not be in charge of us. Also, he drinks on the job and on team trips. He’s broken 4 NCAA violations. He is the most negative person I’ve ever interacted with. DO NOT be fooled by his initial normalness."

"Great coach. Jabs is very direct and will push you because he believes you can do great things. As long as you work hard and show up you will do great under his coaching. Very honest and direct with all concerns. "

"Jabs is truly an amazing coach, he always puts his swimmers first, and is motivated to make them better each and every day. He is a large part of the success of the ecu swimmers and has supported the team in every way. He supports swimmers through their hard days, and worst times. He’s supported me through my hardest moments in and out of the pool. I could never imagine this team without him. "

"Jabs has always been there for those who come to him. He is a great coach who pushes you to your limits and believes the best in you. He always wants what’s best for individuals as well as the team. Jabs has always shown his true side, whether good or bad like any other person would. He comes to practice everyday ready to make us better and hold high expectations doing so."

"As an athlete who has multiple experiences with toxic programs and coaches, I can confidently say that Jabs and the ECU program is FAR from toxic. Jabs does nothing but support and motivate his athletes to be the best they can. He communicates with athletes directly, exactly what he expects from them, and holds them accountable to these expectations. Can he be tough? Absolutely. Being tough is simply the nature of D1 athletics and the sport of swimming. If you don't have a coach willing to be tough on you and hold you accountable, then you won't improve, which is a concept that Jabs understands. Jabs is trying to create an amazing program and team culture at ECU, which I am incredibly grateful to be a part of. This program and Jabs have played a major part in shaping me into the person I am today and have also helped me rediscover my love for the sport of swimming."

"Matthew jabs is a great coach. He definitely has his flaws as EVERYONE does but when it comes to swim coaches he is the best. I have never had a coach that cared just as much about his athletes in the pool as out of it. He pushes us all to be the best. The team definitely has drama but what Division 1 team of 25+ women doesn’t. At the end of the day ECU women’s swim and dive is like a family. There’s no where else I would have rather gone."

"Despite some of the things you may have read, I hope people don’t rush to judgment based on the words of individuals who may not have shown the commitment, work ethic, or integrity required to thrive in a Division I program. College athletics is tough… mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you're not ready to do hard things, Division I swimming is not for you. Jabs was one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. His impact on me went far beyond the pool. He was a mentor who guided me through both the highs and lows—not just in swimming, but in life. Before I came to ECU, I didn’t have a great relationship with the sport, but that changed with the girls I met and his guidance. His door was always open, whether I needed to about swim, school, or even boy problems… he was always there ready to listen and give advice. When it came to training, yes, he pushed us, but only because he believed in what we were capable of. He never asked more than he thought we could handle, and his expectations came from a place of genuine belief in our potential. Sure, the sport can be exhausting and mentally draining at times and we might not always succeed every time we hit the water…that’s just the reality of being a collegiate swimmer. But even in the thick of it Jabs found ways to make us laugh or even crack a smile. I’m incredibly thankful for everything he did for me and for the amazing teammates who became a sister or life long friend. "

"Truly the best D1 can get. Wouldn’t be the person or swimmer I am today without him. He has dealt with some of the most disrespectful athletes but still managed to stay professional and mature. If his athletes don’t like him then it’s because they weren’t fit for the lifestyle and accountability that division 1 athletics requires. "