CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Three UMBC Retrievers and a Boston University Terrier put up stellar performances to lead their teams to victory and earn America East Performer of the Week honors over the weekend. On the men’s side, UMBC sophomore Pierre De Waal (Pretoria, South Africa/Tuks Sport/Cleveland State) took home Swimmer of the Week while classmate Andrew Eckhoff (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) earned Diver of the Week accolades. For the women, UMBC junior Abbey McKenney grabbed Swimmer of the Week (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) recognition while Boston U. sophomore Melinda Matyas (Budapest, Hungary/Eotvos Jozsef Gimnazium) took the nod as Diver of the Week.
De Waal posted two wins and one second-place finish Saturday against William & Mary and Delaware. The sophomore won the 1,650-yard freestyle in an America East season-best time of 16:03.26, the 10th-fastest time in school history. He also touched first in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:37.67 and took second in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:52.77.
Eckhoff swept the men’s diving events Saturday against William & Mary and Delaware, winning the one-meter with a score of 296.15 and the three-meter with a mark of 289.55.
McKenney notched four wins against William & Mary and Delaware this past weekend. She took home individual golds in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle in times of 24.03 and 51.49 and anchored two-first place relays in the 200-yard medley relay (1:47.36) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:30.44).
Matyas helped the Boston U. Terrier women to a win on the road at Villanova Friday night as she swept the diving events. The sophomore posted a score of 238.95 on the one-meter board and 252.37 on the three-meter board to place first in both events. Matyas has now taken home six Diver of the Week honors this season.
The Binghamton University swimming and diving program closed out its dual-meet season with an unusual result at America East rival Stony Brook. The men defeated the Seawolves, 163-124, as the women earned a rare tie, 150-150. The tie is the first by either Binghamton team since transitioning to Division I. Leading the men were senior Jason Chen (Livingston, N.Y./Livingston) and junior Nolan Slesnick (Austin, TX/LBJ-LASA). Each swimmer won two events on the day for the Bearcats. Chen won the 200 back with a time of 1:52.47, breaking the Stony Brook pool record, then put in a lifetime-best performance in the 100 fly, touching first in a time of 51.12. Slesnick took first in the 1000 free (9:55.57) and 200 IM (1:58.82). On the women’s side, sophomore Tiffany Siu (Hong Kong, China/S.T.F.A. Leung Kau Kui) won three events to help Binghamton complete its second straight winning season. Siu took first in the 1,000 free (10:28.63), 200 fly (2:07.93) and the 500 free (5:05.98). Senior Amanda Ciccone (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) won the 50 (24.75) and 100 free (53.31). Her two victories marked the sixth time this season she won at least two events in a meet. Diver Jenna East (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) took both events on the boards with a score of 214.80 on the three-meter board and a score of 228.38 on the one-meter board. Binghamton is off until the America East Championship, hosted by UMBC February 17-20.
Boston University traveled to Villanova on Friday where both the Terrier men and women brough home victories. The men beat the Wildcats, 183-109, while the women topped Villanova in the final race, 152-148. The Villanova women received one vote in the latest CSCAA.org poll. The men were led by freshman Jeff Thomas (Foxboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan), who won the 200 fly (1:53.28) and the 200 IM (1:56.68). Thomas also earned a second-place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:11.35. The Terriers swept the 50 free, led by junior Justin Gilmartin (Maine/Mount Desert Island), who finished in a time of 21.51. The men also swept the podium in the 200 breaststroke with senior Kyle Ernst (Seekonk, Mass./Seekonk) leading the way as he touched first in 2:06.28. On the boards, sophomore Jake Frankenfield (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) won both the one-meter (215.75) and three-meter (227.77) dives. For the women, senior Kirsten Tullis (Glenn Mills, Pa./Archmere Academy) won the 50 free (23.96) and was second in the 100 fly (56.57). Tullis was also member of both of the Terriers’ winning relays, including the meet-winning 400-free relay. She was joined in the 400-free relay by freshman Kendra Cheng (Franklin, Mass./Bishop Feehan), sophomore Lauren Drake (Wuerzburg, Germany/Heidelberg) and senior Maria McIntyre (Herndon, Va./Chantilly). Sophomore Melinda Matyas (Budapest, Hungary/Eotvos Jozsef Gimnazium) grabbed wins n the one- (238.95) and three-meter (252.37) dives. The Terriers finish their dual-meet season this evening when they host Boston College.
University of Maine competed at the Dartmouth Invitational over the weekend. The Maine men finished with 195 points and a fifth-place finish while the Maine women tallied 399.5 points for a fourth-place finish. The top finish for the Black Bear men came from junior Brian Landry (Yorktown, Va./Hampton Roads Academy), who finished eighth in the 200-yard breast stroke in a time of 2:15.53. Senior Jeremy Bender (St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park) then added two top-ten finishes of his own, recording a ninth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, in a time of 2:00.84 and a tenth-place finish in the 400-yard IM in a finishing time of 4:19.52. The Maine men also notched a tenth-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a combined time of 7:23.38. Team members included junior Andrew Meehan (Brewer, Maine/Brewer), freshman Robbie Bickford (Milford, Maine/Old Town), junior Michael Caposella (Riverside, Conn./Greenwich) and Bender. Top finishes for the Maine women included a fourth-place finish by senior Caitlin Shelley (Charlottesville, Va./Western Albemarie) in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:08.85. Shelley later followed that swim with another fourth-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:27.74. Freshman Erica Smrcina (North Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) followed the effort with a sixth-place finish of her own in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:00.18. In the 200-yard butterfly, junior Lauren Thornbrough (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo) swam herself to a third-place finish in a time of 2:11.24. Thornbrough then followed that effort with a fifth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:15.74. The Maine women wrap up their schedule at New Hampshire February 4. Next up for the men is the America East Championship February 17-20.
UMBC completed its dual-meet schedule Saturday against William & Mary and Delaware in Newark, Del. The men defeated the Tribe, 225-73, but fell to the Blue Hens, 159-141. The women swept their final meets, defeating William & Mary, 177-121, and Delaware, 175-124. For the men, sophomore Pierre De Waal (Pretoria, South Africa/Tuks Sport/Cleveland State) won the 1,650 free in a UMBC season-best time of 16:03.26, the 10th-fastest time in school history. De Waal also touched first in the 500 free in 4:37.67. Senior Brad Reitz (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) swept the men’s butterfly events, winning the 100 in 50.49 and the 200 in 1:51.21, while freshman Johan Rohtla (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) won the 100 back in 51.26 and the 200 back in 1:52.00. Sophomore Andrew Eckhoff (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) swept the men’s diving events, winning the one-meter with a score of 296.15 and the three-meter with 289.55. The Retriever women were led by junior Abbey McKenney (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine), who won the 50 free in 24.03 and the 100 free in 51.49, while sophomore Jennifer Kotonias (Burtonsville, Md./Academy of Holy Cross) earned gold in the 200 fly in 2:04.89 and the 200 IM in 2:09.26. Senior Sarah Ryan (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Oceanside) touched first in the 100 fly in 58.12, while freshman Talor Tadena (Orangevale, Calif./Bella Vista) took home the 100 breast crown in 1:06.98. Senior Amanda Shinholser (Burtonsville, Md./Springbrook) won the three-meter dive with a score of 228.40 and earned second place in the one-meter with 204.80. The Retrievers return to action February 11-12 for the Terrapin Invitational.
University of New Hampshire did not compete this week. The Wildcats return to the pool to round out their dual meet schedule February 4 when they host America East foe Maine in Durham, N.H.
Stony Brook University finished its dual-meet schedule on Saturday when it hosted America East rival Binghamton. The men fell to the Bearcats, 163-124, while the women earned a tie, 150-150. On the men’s side, the Seawolves were led by junior Sean Conway (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot), who placed first in three events. Conway touched first in the 50 free in 22.09, then took first in the 100 free in 46.71. He earned another victory as a member of the 400 freestyle relay team that finished first in a time of 3:11.59. Senior Lukasz Ochmanski (Lodz, Poland/Kosciuszko Memorial) reeled in a victory in the 200 free (1:44.85), while junior Cliff Gonzalez (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) took top honors in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.88). Senior Matt McCort (Commack, N.Y./Binghamton) also earned a first-place finish in the 200 butterfly (2:00.76). Junior Daniel Kim (Douglaston, N.Y./Benjamin Cardozo) recorded a season-best time for the Seawolves in the 1,000 free when he touched second in 10:16.45. For the women, freshman Veronica Reid was responsible for four first-place finishes, swimming the second leg of the 200 medley relay that finished first with a time of 1:50.09 before taking top honors in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.19), 200 breaststroke (2:28.96) and 200 IM (2:12.56). Freshman Renee Deschenes (Winnipeg, Manitoba/College Louis-Riel) smashed the team’s top season time in the 1,000 freestyle by more than eight seconds, taking second in 10:38.44. Deschenes also placed first in the 100 backstroke (58.04) and 200 backstroke (2:06.90). Junior Darcy Heuser (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) took first in the 200 freestyle as well. Senior diver Megan Furrer (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) broke a team season record in the three-meter dive with a score of 204.67, taking second overall in the event. The Seawolves are off until the America East Championship Feb. 17-20.
University of Vermont topped Rhode Island at home in its only meet of the week on Saturday, 169-113. This season marks the eighth time in program history, and sixth straight year, that the Catamounts have earned nine or more victories in a season. Senior Kate Weaver (South Burlington, Vt./South Burlington) led the Cats with three victories. Weaver won the 50 (24.63) and 200 (1:53.57) freestyle events and also took first in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:04.14. Sophomore Kailey Gardner (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) also earned a pair of victories as she won the 500 (5:07.34) and 1,000 (10:22.44) freestyle events. Vermont went one-two-three in the one-meter dive, led by junior Meaghan Cunningham (Keene, N.H./Keene), who earned a score of 211.19. The Cats also took the top three spots in the 200 butterfly, with sophomore Chelsea Krisanda (Webster, N.Y./Webster) earning the top honor in 2:09.36. Junior Avery Pittman (Raleigh, N.C./Enloe) won the 100 butterfly in 59.69, junior Caitlin Dowd (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) was victorious in the 200 breaststroke in 2:28.98 and freshman Emily Metta (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) won the 100 breaststroke (1:09.41) to wrap up the individual wins for Vermont. Weaver, Metta and Pittman teamed up with junior Hannah Center (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda Chevy Chase) to help the Cats open the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:50.45. The Catamounts will return to action on February 4-5 when part of the team travels to the Middlebury Invitational.