The UMBC men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept Marist Sunday afternoon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The men’s side (6-1) won every swimming event and won 172.5-117.5, while the women’s side (4-3) competed a very successful weekend with a 159-139 win over the Red Foxes. The women finished third in the Swimming World Magazine College Conference Carnival at Rutgers on Friday and Saturday.
The Retrievers got off to a good start with the women’s 200 medley relay team of sophomore Kathryn Moorby (Cape May, N.J./Lower Cape May Regional), seniors Tina Cantwell (Sinking Spring, Pa./The Hill School) and Jennifer Esposito (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst/C.W. Post) and sophomore Abbey McKenney (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) won in a time of 1:50.18, while the men’s side of senior Zach Vonder Haar (Gahanna, Ohio/Columbus Academy), sophomores John Mendenhall (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) and Jason Mattingly (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) and freshman Steve Gallagher (Sinking Spring, Pa/Wilson) finished first in 1:38.31.
Senior Eric Jones (Gambrills, Md./Arundel) earned three golds in his three individual events, including the 500 free (4:48.12), the 200 free (1:44.52) and the 50 free (21.89). Fellow senior Sam Maccherola (Woolford, Md./South Carroll/Tennessee) won the 100 free in a time of 52.80 and the 200 free in 1:54.28, while Esposito swept the butterfly events, winning the 100 in 58.85 and the 200 in 2:06.93.
Three more Retriever men earned multiple individual gold medals, including senior Matt Mattingly (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West), who took the 100 breast (59.40) and the 100 fly (51.67). Junior Brad Reitz (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) won the 200 fly (1:53.81) and the 200 IM (1:56.76), while sophomore Nour Saad (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) swept the backstroke events, winning the 100 in 53.18 and the 200 in 1:54.75.
Tina Cantwell touched first in the 100 breast in 1:07.26. Juniors Rebecca Godwin (Catonsville, Md./Notre Dame Prep) and Mat Carson (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute) won the men’s and women’s 1,000 free in 10:26.98 and 9:52.84, respectively, while sophomores Ashley Miller (New Smyrna Beach, Fla./New Smyrna Beach) and Mendenhall won the 50 free (24.96) and the 200 breast (2:07.96), respectively. Two freshmen, Amy Fay (Haverhill, Mass/Haverhill) and Gallagher, took first place in the 500 free (5:05.87) and the 100 free (48.89).
To cap off the meet, the women’s 400 free relay team of Maccherola, Miller, junior Erin Wohlers (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Charles W. Baker) and McKenney earned the gold in 3:37.59, while the men’s relay squad of Gallagher, junior Keilan Freeman (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Argyll Centre), Vonder Haar and Jones touched first in 3:12.92.
The Retrievers return to action Saturday when they face Delaware and William & Mary on Senior Day and Alumni Day at the UMBC Natatorium at 1 p.m.
