No team made a bigger splash at last weekend?s America East Conference swimming and diving championships than the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
UMBC captured the overall team titles in both the men and women?s meets, marking the first time since Delaware in 1997 that the same school won both championships.
For the UMBC men, last weekend?s performance earned them a fourth straight America East title and 10th conference crown in a row overall. This was the first America East title for the women, whose last conference championship was the 2003 Northeast Conference title.
On the men?s side, UMBC finished with 876.5 points, holding off second-place Binghamton (805 points) and third-place Stony Brook (506.5). The UMBC women tallied 719 points to knock off Boston University (616) and two-time defending league champion New Hampshire (596).
“There is no way to point to one performance or moment over the weekend that led to these wins,” UMBC coach Chad Craddock said. “This was such a team effort that we couldn?t have won without everyone doing their part.”
During the four-day competition, UMBC?s men won four gold medals, broke one school record and set a meet record. The Retriever women won 12 conference titles and broke nine school records and two meet records.
Senior Ryan Karrer won his third straight America East title in the 1,650-yard freestyle, finishing with a time of 15:39.62. Justin Bronson won the 100 free and was a member of the winning 800 free relay team with Freddie Reitz, Evan Roseberry and Juan Ortiz.
“We started off strong, and that?s something we always set out to do,” Bronson said. “There is always pressure on us because of our success, but all of the guys performed how they were expected to.”
Agnes Stanislawska and Meghan Sackett had some of the best performances for the UMBC women, each winning five gold medals. Stanislawska, a senior, won the 200 individual medley and the 200 backstroke. Sackett, a junior, won the 500 free and the 1,650 free. Both swimmers were also members of the 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relays.
SWIMMING NOTES
» Agnes Stanislawska won the Senior Coaches Award, given annually to the male and female who earned the most points from their freshman through senior years.
» The Retrievers captured both the male and female most outstanding diver awards after Ashley Houghton won both the one- and three-meter competitions while Jeff Salgado placed second in both events.
» Boston University is the only America East team to capture both the men and women?s title in the same year more than once. The Terriers accomplished the feat in 1990 and ?94.
