Binghamton’s David Holmes (Doncaster, England/Derby Univ.) and Maine’s Tal Shpaizer (Shoham, Israel/Hof-Hasharon) have been named America East Men’s and Women’s Swimming Performers of the Week, respectively. UMBC’s Jeff Salgado (Glen Rock, Pa./South Western) and Ashley Houghton (Frederick, Md./Urbana) are this week’s Men’s and Women's America East Diving performers of the week. The awards were announced Tuesday (October 31).
Holmes has led the Binghamton men's swimming team to a 2-0 start, capturing all four of the individual events he has competed in thus far this season. In the Bearcats' season opening victory at Boston, he touched first in the 50-meter, 200-meter, and 500-meter freestyle events. On Saturday's home opener against Canisius, Holmes continued to excel, breaking a pair of individual pool records. Holmes won the 100-fly with a time of 49.74, eclipsing the previous best mark of 50.38. He also paced the Bearcats' record-setting relay effort in the 800-freestyle with a pool-best 200 freestyle time of 1:39.09 in the race's lead leg. Led by Holmes, the meet-closing relay victory shaved nearly 10 seconds off the previous pool record.
Shpaizer won three individual events in a dual meet at Rhode Island on October 28. She won the 100 back stroke in a time of 1:00.13, took first in the 200 IM with a time of 2:13.66 and was first in the 100 butterfly in 59.68.
Salgado won the three-meter dive competition with a score of 282.00 and placed second on the one-meter board, 214.27, against Rider in the season opener on October 21. At Navy on October 28, he placed second on both boards with scores of 308.40 on the one-meter and 308.03 on the three-meter. His score on the one-meter board qualifies him for the NCAA Zone Diving competition.
Houghton has won five of six diving events so far this season. In the season opener against Rider on October 21, she won with scores of 233.31 on the one-meter and 211.95 on the three-meter. At Navy on October 28, she won the one-meter, 270.52, and placed second on the three-meter board, 268.13. Her score on the one-meter was just three points shy of her school record and qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving competition. Finally, in a double-dual meet against New Hampshire and Navy the next day, she swept the diving events with scores of 237.51 on the one-meter and 280.28 on the three-meter. Her three-meter score was also a Zone qualifying time.