It was a case of something old and something new at the America East Swimming and Diving Championships at Stanley M. Wallace Pool on the campus of the University of Maine. The old was Northeastern University winning its fifth-straight conference women's championship. The new was conference-newcomer University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) winning its first America East title in any sport since joining the conference at the start of the 2003-04 season.
The Huskies totaled 765 points over the three-day event to outdistance UMBC (605.50) on the women's side. University of New Hampshire was third with 572.50 points, followed by Boston University (434). Maine and Binghamton University tied for fifth with 324 points. Stony Brook University (310) was seventh and University of Vermont (169) was eighth.
The Retrievers set a conference mark with 901 points, easily surpassing the standard of 809.5 set by Drexel in 2001. Binghamton was second with 574 points, followed by Stony Brook (509), Boston University (485), New Hampshire (402), Maine (324) and Vermont (162).
Freshman Agnes Stanislawska of UMBC won her third event of the championship with a time of 52.37 in the 100-yard freestyle. But Northeastern saw junior Kelly McIsaac (52.40), sophomore Sarah Reddick (52.42) and junior Katie Schmaling (52.61) place second, third and fourth, respectively, to pick up valuable points in the team standings. The Huskies had entered the day with a 491.5-404.5 advantage over the Retrievers.
Stanislawska, who also won the 200-yard freestyle and set a conference championship record in the 200-yard individual medley, was named the Women's Most Outstansing Swimmer.
Senior Astrid Sperling of UMBC set a new conference and pool record with a time of 2:00.68 in the 200-yard backstroke.
The Retrievers' Amanda Otis (17:37.82) and Lindsey Prather (2:17.80) were also individual champions in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 200-yard breaststroke, respectively.
Senior Yun Qu of Binghamton won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:03.36.
Junior Adela Gadozeda of Northeastern, who had won the one-meter diving Friday, won the three-meter diving with 493.40 points. She was named the Women's Outstanding Diver.
The Huskies set their fourth conference relay record as Reddick, Schmaling, Kerby Lewis and McIsaac combined for a time of 3:29.40 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
UMBC's depth and talent continued to assault the America East record book on the men's side. Senior Brad Green, who had set the conference mark in the 50-yard freestyle Friday, added another conference championship and pool record with a time of 44.82 in the 100-yard freestyle. Green broke his own mark of 45.83 set earlier in the day in the preliminaries. He was named the Men's Most Outsanding Swimmer.
Carlos Canepa of UMBC won the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:02.94. The senior had won the 500-yard freestyle Friday. Teammates Ryan Karrer (16:10.69) and Even Swann (16:22.73) were second and third, respectively.
Junior Jakub Scroczynski of UMBC won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:51.60. He established the conference championship record with a time of 1:51.36 in the preliminaries earlier in the day.
Junior Robert Kaczynski of Binghamton, who set the conference championship record in the 100-yard breaststroke Saturday, won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:05.45.
Senior Chris McGuire of Binghamton, who set a conference championship record in the 200-yard individual medley Friday and the 100-yard butterfly Saturday, won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:50.28.
UMBC's Josh Farley, Canepa, Scroczynski and Green won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:06.33.
Junior Victor Paguia of Boston University, who won his third-straight one meter diving title Saturday and his third-straight three-meter crown Friday, was named the Men's Most Outstanding Diver for the third year in a row.
Northeastern, led by head swimming coach Roy Coates and head diving coach Brad Snodgrass, earned both the Women's Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year and Women's Diving Coaching Staff of the Year awards.
Chad Cradock and his assistants of UMBC were named the Men's Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year. Agnes Miller and her assistants at Boston University were named the Men's Diving Coaching Staff of the Year.
Men's Awards
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Brad Green, UMBC
Most Outstanding Diver: Victor Paguia, Boston U.
Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year: UMBC
Swimming Diving Staff of the Year: Boston U.
Women's Awards
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Agnes Stanislawska, UMBC
Most Outstanding Diver: Adela Gavozdea, Northeastern
Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year: Northeastern
Swimming Diving Staff of the Year: Northeastern