Freshman Liza Baykova (Moscow, Russia) snapped a program and America East record as the University of New Hampshire women's swimming & diving team remains in first after Saturday's action of the America East Championships at Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sports & Recreation Center.
New Hampshire racked up 534 after three days of competition. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County is in second with 532 points, trailing by just two points. The University of Vermont ranks third with 460 points followed by Binghamton University (373) and the University of Maine (298).
After a first place time of 1 minute, 49.42 seconds in the 200-yard preliminary heat, Baykova blazed through the water in the finals to slam the wall at 1:47.48 to become the league's new record holder. Her finals time also shattered the program record, previously held by Denise Leckenby who posted a time of 1:48.33 in 1998.
New Hampshire captured first and third in the 400-yard IM for 36 points. Senior Katie Mann (Prince George, British Columbia) became the second UNH swimmer to win the 400-yard IM all four years at the conference championships. She joins Kristen Latourelle (1997-2001) as the only Wildcats to accomplish the feat. She pulled away from the rest of the field to engineer a winning time of 4:13.51. The mark was 13.55 seconds faster than the next finisher. Freshman Bridget Miller (Longmeadow, Mass.) joined Mann on the podium with a third place time of 4:29.16. Sophomore Lauren Marsden (Washington, D.C.) bolstered the scoring in the event with a 4:46.16 finish, good for 16th in the event.
On the three-meter board, Nicole Zahka (Medway, Mass.) highlighted the Wildcats in the event. The senior sprung off the platform and registered a fifth place score of 236.40 to earn 14 points for UNH.
Freshman Jessica Harper (Easthampton, Mass.) and senior Megan Suffel (Cornwall, Ontario) represented New Hampshire in the scoring column for the 100-yard butterfly with 23 total points. Harper was edged out of the top spot, posting a second place and personal best time of 56.26. Suffel mustered an 11th place finish of 57.61 to round out the scoring in the event.
The Wildcats posted a one-two finish and 44 points in the 200-yard freestyle. Behind Baykova's record-setting performance, senior Oneida Cooper (Johannesburg, South Africa) reached for wall at 1:51.31 to capture silver. Freshman Kaitlin Cahill (Troy, N.Y.) capped off the 44-point performance for UNH in the event, clocking in at 1:54.53 for a 10th-place finish.
Junior Bettina Caspersen (Lyngby, Denmark) paced New Hampshire in the 100-yard breaststroke. She parted the water to log a sixth place time of 1:04.15. Sophomore Sarah Olver (Milwaukee, Wis.) posted an eighth place finish of 1:05.57 while senior Kathryn Violette (Portland, Maine) tallied a 14th place time of 1:08.82. UNH chalked up 27 points in the event.
Sophomore Sarah Broderick (Haverhill, Mass.) claimed gold in the 100-yard backstroke with a mark of 56.58. Broderick was joined on the podium by a third place finish from senior Nicole Anderson (Dover, N.H.). Anderson captured bronze for a time of 56.98. Sophomore Emily Giambastini (Walnut Creek, Calif.) concluded the scoring for the 'Cats in the event, stopping the clock at 59.14. New Hampshire seized 37 points in the event.
The 'Cats punctuated the day with a first place time in the 400-yard medley relay to capture 40 points and the lead into the final day. The triumphant quartet of Broderick, Mann, Harper and Baykova fused together a time of 3:44.32.
The last day of the America East Championships commences at 10 a.m. with the 200-yard backstroke preliminaries. Other events include the 1,650-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly and the 400-yard freestyle relay. The finals to conclude the four-day meet will start at 5:30 p.m.
Sophomore Emily Escobedo (New Rochelle, N.Y./Maria Regina) set another UMBC school record with her win in the 100 breast. This gives her two wins in as many days, as the Retrievers continue at the America East Championships.
Escobedo broke her record in the prelims with a time of 1:01.56, before breaking that mark in a time of 1:01.01. The time set a new school, conference, and WPI pool record. Lexi Coon (Camden, Del./Milford) finished in fourth in the race with a time of 1:02.93.
A trio of Retrievers placed in the top eight in the 400 IM, led by Kayla Lilly (Natick, Mass./Medfield). Lilly took second in the race, touching the wall in 4:27.06. Carly Deeter (Langhorne, Pa./Pennington School) and Cassie Jordan (Woodbine, Md./Mount de Sales) were the other two to place in the race. Deeter finished in sixth with a time of 4:31.96, while Jordan claimed eighth with a time of 4:34.96.
Amanda Day (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) and Hannah Sutherland (Kingston, Ontario/Holy Cross Secondary) went four-seven in the 100 fly with times of 56.41 and 57.02 respectively. Allie Caulfield (Ellicott City, Md./Mount de Sales) earned a third place finish in the 200 free with a time of 1:52. Stephanie Romano (Arlington, Va./Yorktown/Towson) and Kristie Langford (Port Hope, Ontario/CDCI West) took sixth and seventh in the event with times of 1:52.60 and 1:53.07.
The other two swimming event contested were the 100 back and 400 medley relay. The 100 back saw Lauren Day (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) take second place, finishing just behind Sarah Broderick of UNH in 56.74. Also in the race, Sutherland and Catherine Frediani (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) finished five-six. Sutherland touched the wall in 57.20, while Frediani was right behind her in 57.45. The quartet of Day, Day, Escobedo and Frediani took second in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:46.33.
Coco Darelius (Rye, N.Y./Rye) took third in the 3 meter dive, scoring 251.40. Emily Fay finished in seventh with a tally of 199.25.
After day three, UMBC (532) finds themselves just two points behind reigning champs New Hampshire (534). Vermont (460), Binghamton (373) and Maine (298) round out the field in Worcester.
Juniors Andie Blaser and Maggie Preston claimed individual titles for Vermont swimming and diving to highlight day three of the America East Championships at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Vermont remains in third place with 460 points overall.
New Hampshire (534 pts.) and UMBC (532) occupy the top two spots in the team standings, while Binghamton (373 pts.) and Maine (298) round out the final spots behind Vermont.
Blaser earned the title in the 100 fly, registering a first-place finish in a time of 55.79. Blaser became the first Catamount since 1995 to win the title in the 100 fly at the America East Championships. Courtney Gray (57.71) and Alexy Novelli (58.64) also scored points for Vermont in the 100 fly.
Preston posted a score of 256.95 in the 3-meter diving to register the top score in the event and earn the program's first-ever title in a diving event at the conference championships. Samantha Russo earned a sixth-place score of 205.65, and Gabrielle Logozzo scored 179.70 in the event.
In the 200 free, the Catamounts earned three of the top nine finishes, led by Sarah Mantz (1:52.32), who finished fourth. Kelly Lennon (1:52.41) took fifth place, and Abby Holmquist (1:53.82) finished ninth.
Lauren Punger paced UVM in the 400 IM, clocking in at 4:30.35 to earn a fourth-place showing. Alexy Novelli (4:35.90), Maddie Blumenfeld (4:38.15) and Estee Dilli (4:40.35) rounded out the Catamounts' scoring in the event.
Vermont had five swimmers score points in the 100 back, with Ilsa Feierabend (57.17), Kira Hancock (57.65) and Elena Melloni (58.20) each registering top-10 showings. Weaver (58.57) and Jess Gorham (58.89) also placed among the top-16 finishers.
Shannon Cowley led the way for the Catamounts in the 100 breast, racing to a time of 1:03.25 for a fifth-place showing. Blumenfeld clocked in at 1:08.60, as she also scored points in the event.
Vermont's top relay squad made up of Feierabend, Cowley, Blaser and Weaver registered a fourth-place showing in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:49.98.
