CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— Week six of swimming and diving is in the books and America East performers keep racking up the wins. Four underclassmen take home weekly honors after standout efforts in the pool and on the boards. Female swimmer of the week goes to New Hampshire freshman Katie Mann (Prince George, B.C./Duchess Park Secondary School) while Maine sophomore Kara Capossela (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) collects the female diver of the week nod. Boston University sophomore Jeff Thomas (Foxboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) picks up the male swimmer of the week award and classmate Jared Scheck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) is the male diver of the week.
Mann raced to a first-place finish in all three individual events in which she competed and also swam a leg in the winning 400 medley relay to lead New Hampshire to a victory over Rhode Island. She was the first competitor to touch the wall in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.47), 200 breaststroke (2:24.44) and 200 IM (2:09.85) against the Rams.
Capossela led the Black Bear diving squads against Vermont. She swept the diving events against the Catamounts winning the one-meter with a score of 224.10 and was tops in the three-meter notching a score of 257.85.
Thomas led Boston U. with a victory against the top swimmers from both Fordham and Texas A&M in the 200 fly at 1:52,58, more than half a second faster than the 18th-ranked Aggies and four seconds better than Fordham. He also recorded the second-fastest time in the 500 free at 4:39.13.
Scheck took fourth in the one-meter dive at 267.55 against Fordham and Texas A&M. He also finished fifth overall in the three-meter diving event at 261.00.
The Binghamton swimming and diving teams split their meet with Drexel Saturday afternoon. The women won 194-97, while the men fell 170-128. Three Binghamton women swam to a pair of victories on the day. Freshmen Corinne Zotter (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) and Caitlin Kelly (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley), along with junior Tiffany Siu (Hong Kong, China/S.T.F.A. Leung Kau Kui) each claimed two first-place finishes, while also swimming a leg on the victorious 200 medley relay team. Kelly won the 50 free (24.35) and 100 free (52.69). Her time in the 100 free set a new Binghamton freshman record, breaking the six-year old mark of 53.20. Zotter touched first in the 100 breast (1:07.35) and 200 breast (2:27.89), while Siu swept the butterfly events placing first in the 100 fly with a time of 58:57 and touched in a time of 2:07.48 in the 200 fly. For the men, a pair of freshmen picked up their first collegiate wins. Emmett Jacobi (Rochester, N.Y./Pittsford) swam to victory in the 500 (4:48.75) and 1000 (9:59.01) freestyle events. Classmate Alexi Corey (Orangeburg, N.Y./Tappan Zee) won his first event in the 200 back with a time of 1:54.21. The Bearcats are next in action at Marist on Nov. 19.
The Boston University men’s swimming and diving team earned a split on Saturday at the Competition Pool with a 166-11 victory over Fordham and a 146-125 loss to No. 18 Texas A&M. The women dropped a 158-125 decision to Fordham on Saturday, as well. For the men, sophomore Jeff Thomas (Foxboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) led the Terriers with a victory against the top swimmers from both schools in the 200 fly at 1:52.58. Freshman Alec Pokornowski (Clarence, N.Y./Canisius) placed second in the 1,000 free with a time of 9:42.00. The Terrier women won five events with senior Kristen Connors (Masfield, Mass./Bishop Feean) winning both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. She also helped Boston U. win the 200 medley relay. Kendra Cheng (Franklin, Mass./Bishop Feehan) took first in the 100 free and Melinda Matyas (Budapest, Hungary/Eotvos Jozsef Gimnaxium) won the three-meter diving event. The Terrier swimmers will next host the Terrier Invitational on Nov. 18-20, while the divers head to the Rutgers Invitational on Nov. 17-19.
The Maine women swept the relay events but fell to Vermont, dropping a 172-125 decision to the Catamounts in Burlington. The 200 freestyle relay team set a new pool record with a final time of 1:39.00. Maine’s 400 medley relay team also took first with a time of 4:02.20. Naja Harvey (Orono, Minn./Orono) led the individual charge for the Black Bears, taking first in both breaststroke events. The freshman won the 100 with a time of 1:07.28 and the 200 at 2:27.98. The Black Bears return to action when they take part in the URI Invitational, a two-day event beginning on Dec. 2.
Last weekend, UMBC fell to in-state rival Maryland in College Park. The men lost 202-98, while the women lost to the No. 13 Terps, 233-67. Pierre De Waal (Pretoria, South Africa/Tuks Sport/Cleveland State) was a bright spot for the Retrievers, claiming victory in all three of his individual events. He set season-best marks in the 1000 free (9:30.56), 200 fly (1:50.14) and 500 free (4:37.30) en route to wins in all three events. Sophomore Johan Rohtla (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) also picked up a win in the 200 back (1:50.12). On the women’s side, Jennifer Kotonias (Burtonsville, Md./Academy of Holy Cross) was UMBC’s only winner, claiming the top spot in the 200 fly (2:03.60). Both teams look to regroup as they head to Fairfax, Va., for this weekend’s Patriot Invitational.
New Hampshire preserved its undefeated season, claiming first-place in 14 of 16 events, taking down the University of Rhode Island, 160-128, on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats opened the day with a first-place finish in the 400 medley relay and never looked back. Katie Mann won three individual events and swam a leg on that 400 medley relay team. Oneida Cooper (Johannesburg, South Africa/St. Andrews School for Girls) finished first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.82 while Jessica Little (Barrie, Ontario/Barrie Central Collegiate Institute) gave the Wildcats a lift in the 100 breaststroke, earning the top spot in a time of 1:06.47. Lauren McCandless (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) led a group of three UNH swimmers in the 200 fly, winning the race in 2:05.94. Ellen Pelletier (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) won the one-meter dive for New Hampshire. The Wildcats return to the pool when they hit the road for the Boston University Invitational Nov. 18-20.
Stony Brook had the week off but will head to Boston for the Boston University Invitational next weekend.
Vermont topped America East rival Maine 172-125 in the Catamounts’ only meet of the week. Claudia Etherington (Perth, Australia/St. Hilda’s) won three events to pace the Catamounts. She swept the two backstroke events and also won the 50 free in a time of 58.24. Junior Kailey Gardner (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca), senior Avery Pittman (Raliegh, N.C./Enloe) and freshman Katie Adams (Houston, Texas/Cyprus Creek) each won a pair of events for Vermont. Chelsea Krisanda (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) took the top spot in the 400 IM to wrap up the Catamount wins on the afternoon. Vermont returns to action on Nov. 20 when it hosts Bryant at 1 p.m. Fans can watch the meet live for free on CatamounTV, which is accessible through UVMathletics.com.