BOSTON - The UMBC men and the University of New Hampshire women lead after day three of the 2006 America East Swimming & Diving Championship at Boston University's Aquatic Center. The four day event concludes on Sunday.

The Retriever men (598 points) head into the final day of the conference championship with an impressive 113.5-point lead over second-place Binghamton University (485.5). Stony Brook University (466) is on the Bearcats’ heals in third place, followed by host Boston University (316), University of Maine (255.5)and University of New Hampshire (120).

UMBC did not take home any top-spot finishes in day three of the men’s event, but the overall depth of the Retrievers proved to be the key to gaining a significant lead in the league title event. Binghamton’s Kaan Tayla continued one of the the most impressive individual conference meets in recent history with another dominating performance. Tayla took first in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:37.59, nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the field, and also anchored the first-place 400-yard medley relay squad.

On the women’s side, UNH’s conference-best 498 points is followed closely by UMBC’s 471. Third-place Boston University (388) is followed by Maine (284), Stony Brook (249.50), Vermont (203)and Binghamton (157.50).

The four-day championship event concludes on Sunday as the UMBC men look to win their third-straight conference crown, while the UNH women are in search of their second-straight league title.

The UNH women won four of the six events on day three. Deanna Petchonka took first in the 100-yard butterfly (57.42), while Shannon Daly (100-yard breaststroke - 103.38), Kary Goodman (100-yard backstroke - 56.07) and the Wildcat 400 medley relay team (3:49.26) were also victorious on the day.

On Sunday, prelims start at 10 a.m. and include the 1650-freestyle, 200-backstroke, 100-freestyle, 200-breaststroke, 400-freestyle and 200-butterfly. The championships for these events will follow, starting at 5:30 p.m., and include the one-meter dive.

This weekend marks the first time the event is being held at the Boston University Aquatic Center, after last year being held at the UMBC Natorium.

Binghamton University, Boston University, University of Maine, UMBC, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont (women only) will all vie for the 2006 Swimming and Diving Championship.