America East newcomer University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) wasted no time in making a splash at the first day of the conference Swimming and Diving Championship. The Retrievers, who joined the conference prior to the start of the season, lead the men’s championship and are second in the women’s championship at the three-day event at Stanley M. Wallace Pool on the campus of the University of Maine.
UMBC holds a comfortable edge on the men’s side where the Retrievers have 288 points. Boston University and Binghamton University are tied for second with 154 points. Stony Brook University (148) is fourth followed by University of New Hampshire (135), Maine (100) and University of Vermont 48).
Four-time defending champion Northeastern University has 215.50 points to lead the women’s championship over UMBC (197.50). New Hampshire (161) is third followed by Boston University (154), Binghamton (109), Stony Brook (99), Maine (98) and Vermont (58).
The Retrievers took the top three spots in the men’s 500-yard freestyle. Senior Carlos Canepa (4:34.46) won the event, followed by sophomore Geza Szabo (4:39.57) and freshman Ryan Karrer (4:39.76).
Senior Brad Green won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 20:81. Green had established the conference mark earlier in the day when he posted a 20.68 in the preliminaries.
Senior Chris McGuire of Binghamton set the conference record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:51.51. UMBC took second, fourth, fifth and sixth in that event to collect 59 points.
The Retrievers also won the 400-yard medley relay team as Jakub Sroczynski, Ian Carey, Szabo and Green combined for a time of 3:27.53.
Stony Brook won the 200-yard freestyle relay. James Payne, Roger Pugh, Daniel Berzansky and Ted Freeborn combined to post a 1:24.52.
Two-time Most Outstanding Diver Victor Paquia of Boston University won the men’s three-meter diving with 514.85 points. UMBC’s Jon Gdowik was second with 443.90 points.
Northeastern set a conference record in the 200-yard freestyle relay with Sarah Reddick, Katie Schmaling, Kerby Lewis and Kelly McIsaac combining for a time of 1:35.91.
The Huskies also picked up valuable points in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:49.81. The team of Schmaling, Katie Kane, Reddick and McIsaac finished just ahead of UMBC’s Astrid Sperling, Lindsey Prather, Holly Wittsack and Agnes Stanislawska, who combined for a time of 3:50.46.
Northeastern earned points in the 50-yard freestyle with junior McIsaac winning the event with a time of 24.12 while teammate Schmaling and Elyse Gibson of UMBC tied for second at 24.34.
The Huskies were first and third in the one-meter diving as Adela Gadozdea won the event with 260.30 points and Laruen Portman was third with 218.25 points.
UMBC received a record-breaking performance in the 200-yard individual medley as freshman Stanislaska posted a 2:05.51.
Sophomore Shannon Daly of New Hampshire set the conference mark in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:58.94.