For Immediate Release: February 17, 2008
Contact: Anthony G. Naglieri (sports@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-2956

America East Swimming and Diving Championships - Day 4
Varanda claims third title, earns league's top swimmer honors

Complete results
Day four results

ORONO, ME -- Junior Brenno Varanda (St. Petersburg, Fla.) broke his own school record in the 200-breast to claim his third title of the weekend pacing the Binghamton swimming and diving team's efforts on the final day of competition at the 2008 America East Conference Championships at the University of Maine's Wallace Pool.

Varanda capped off a stellar weekend of swimming by winning the 200-breast in a school- and meet-record time of 2:02.78. He finished a perfect 3-for-3 in individual events garnering America East Men's Most Outstanding Swimmer honors for the first time in his career.

A Binghamton men's swimmer has now earned the conference's top individual accolade in four consecutive years. Former BU swimmer Kaan Tayla won the award from 2005-2006, while 2006 graduate and NCAA qualifer David Holmes won it at last year's meet.

His record-setting swim topped his own previous mark of 2:03.34 set at last year's championship meet. The Bearcat junior has now won the event in three consecutive league meets. In his three-year collegiate career, he has now collected seven individual America East titles.

Led by Varanda, the Binghamton men finished in third place in the five-team field with a total of 709 points, while the Bearcat women came in sixth place out of seven with 302.5 points - marking the squad's highest scoring output at the league meet since the team's fifth place effort during the 2004 season (324 points).

The UMBC men captured their 11th consecutive conference championship and fifth straight since joining the America East. The Retrievers followed suit on the women's side, as UMBC became the first school in conference history to win back-to-back men’s and women’s championship titles.

Junior Andrew Palumbo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and senior Dylan Hobe (New Windsor, N.Y.) both also reached the 200-breast finals, finishing in third and fifth place, respectively.

Senior Jason Lapp (Linwood, N.Y.) and sophomore Craig Juergens (Boylston, Mass.) followed in 10th and 11th place. For Palumbo, it was his second medal in as many days clocking in at a personal-best 2:05.95.

In the men's 200-back, junior Sean Lorenz (Norwich, N.Y.) led a trio of Bearcat finalists. Lorenz captured fourth-place honors in a time of 1:52.90.

Freshmen Jason Chen (Livingston, N.J.) and Kevin Kearney (Latham, N.Y.) joined Lorenz in the evening's final, touching in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Chen clocked in at 1:54.13, while Kearney was two spots behind with a time of 1:54.38.

Junior Brian Koralewki (Floral Park, N.Y.) and sophomore Philip Dzieniszewski (Bayside, N.Y.) were finalists in the 100-free.

Koralewski medaled with a third-place finish in a time of 46.92, while Dzieniszewski touched just three tenths of a second back in fourth in 46.95. Junior Joe Rogan (Ithaca, N.Y.) added a 15th place finish in the event.

Sophomore Brian Jacobs (Bloomingburg, N.Y.) and freshman Cole Courtemanche (Gardner, Mass.) both reached the finals in the mile. Jacobs came in sixth place in 16:26.61, while Courtemanche touched in eighth place in 16:44.27. Peter Rodrick won the consolation final and finished in ninth place in 16:52.68.

Binghamton posted three top-10 performances in the 200-fly final. Junior Peter Rodrick (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) and Matt McCort (Commack, N.Y.) tied for sixth overall in 1:56.38. Sophomore John Blatchford (Amsterdam, N.Y.) came in 10th in 1:59.82.

On the women's side, freshman Lyndsi Worthington (Leawood, Kan.) became a two-time finalist advancing to the 200-back finals. Worthington touched in a time of 2:10.47to finish fifth. On Saturday, she finished eighth in the 100-back.

In the consolation final, Jordyn Kline (Amsterdam, N.Y.) and Kelly Harris (Farmingdale, N.Y.) added 13th- and 16th-place finishes, respectively

First-year swimmer Brittany Detlef (Rochester, N.Y.) won the consolation final in the 200-fly in a time of 2:10.48. Detlef earned a pair of top-10 finishes in her America East Championship debut, highlighted by her third-place effort in the 100-fly on Saturday.

Fresh off Saturday's school-record breaking performance in the 100-breast, freshman Danielle Gallo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) set another team mark in the 200-breast earning 11th place honors in a time of 2:26.61.

Gallo's time surpassed former BU swimmer Mary Tennyson's seven-year-old school mark of 2:27.20.

Senior Nicole Sweeney (Commack, N.Y.) and freshman Kelsey Anderson (Penfield, N.Y.) both reached the consolation finals in the mile. Anderson came in 13th in place while Sweeney was in at in 16th.

Allyce Brand (Highland Park, Ill.) and Taryn Ferrara (Morristown, N.J.) were both consolation finalists in the 100-free. Brand finished 14th overall and Ferrara in 16th place.

The Binghamton men's and women's swim team will return to action at the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh, PA on February 29 to March 2, 2008.

Women's Team Rankings
1. UMBC	741
2. Boston University	685
3. New Hampshire	628.5
4. Vermont	462.5
5. Maine	370.5
6. Binghamton	302.5
7. Stony Brook	205
Men's Team Rankings
1. UMBC	929
2. Boston University	749
3. Binghamton	707
4. Stony Brook	459
5. Maine	282

America East Men's Championship Outstanding Swimmer

2008 Brenno Varanda, Binghamton
2007 David Holmes, Binghamton
2006 Kaan Tayla, Binghamton
2005 Kaan Tayla, Binghamton
2004 Brad Green, UMBC
2003 Chris McGuire, Binghamton