CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— The five America East coaches selected the UMBC men’s swimming & diving team as preseason favorite to win its eighth-straight America East Championship. The Retrievers received three first-place votes and 15 points overall to earn the top spot, just ahead of Boston University, which took two first-place votes and 14 points total.
Binghamton University comes in at the third spot, with 10 points. The Bearcats are followed by Stony Brook University, with seven points, and University of Maine, with four points.
UMBC looks to continue its string of dominance in the pool as it starts 2010-11 in the hunt for its eighth consecutive America East swimming & diving championship. The Retrievers return seniors Eric Jones (Gambrills, Md./Arundel) and Brad Reitz (Ellicott City, Md./Howard). At the 2010 America East Championship, Jones won the 200-yard freestyle. Reitz is the three-time defending conference champion in the 200-yard butterfly. UMBC also returns all four members of its 800-yard freestyle relay team. Reitz and Jones were joined on that team by senior Keilan Freeman (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Argyll Centre) and sophomore Herol Marjak (Harjumaa, Estonia/Tallinn Sec Science School). In diving, the Retrievers look to sophomore Andrew Eckhoff (Chelmsford, Mass/Chelmsford). As a freshman, Eckhoff finished second in the three-meter dive and fourth in the one-meter dive. UMBC adds eight newcomers to the squad, including seven freshmen and one sophomore transfer.
For more on the men's swimming & diving coaches' poll, click here.
The league’s seven head coaches chose the Boston University women’s swimming & diving team as the favorite to win the 2010-11 America East Championship. The Terriers, who are gunning for their third-straight championship, received all six possible first-place votes, earning 36 points and the top spot in the conference preseason. Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
The Terriers are followed in second place by UMBC, which received the remaining first-place vote and 31 points overall. The University of New Hampshire grabbed the third spot, with 26 points, followed by University of Vermont in fourth, with 20 points. Binghamton University (15), Stony Brook University (12) and University of Maine (7) took fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.
Boston University, which finished first at last year’s championship, returns three of its top performers from the championship meet in 2010. Senior Maria McIntyre (Herndon, Va./Chantilly) won the 50-yard freestyle at the 2010 meet, covering the sprint in 23.17 seconds. Junior Amanda Schmitz (Pleasanton, Calif./Foothill), who holds the championship meet record in the 400-yard individual medley, which she won in 2010, also is the defending champion in the 200-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle. Sophomore diver Melinda Matyas (Budapest, Hungary/Eotvos Jozsef Gimnazium) won both the one-meter and three-meter dives in her freshman campaign as she was named Outstanding Diver of the Meet. Matyas was just part of a group of Terrier divers that went one, two, three in both events. Seniors Sarah Colton (Wheatfield, N.Y./Niagara Wheatfield) and Bailey O’Brien (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) also return for Boston U.
For more on the women's swimming & diving coaches' poll, click here.