BEARCAT SWIMMING WEEKLY RELEASE - November 2, 2007

Swimming and Diving hosts defending league champions UMBC
The Binghamton men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams hit the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center pool against the visiting Retrievers on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Bearcats drop dual meet openers to Boston University
The Binghamton men's and women's swimming/diving squads each dropped their respective dual meets against Boston University at the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcat men lost 123-120, while the women were defeated, 162-81.

The Bearcat men were led by first place finishers junior Brenno Varanda in the 200-IM (1:56.97) and the 200-breast (2:08.71), freshmen Jason Chen in the 200-fly (1:57.98), and Joe Rogan in the 50-free (22.55). BU's 400-Free and 400-Medley relay squads also recorded victories in times of 3:16.54 and 3:31.27, respectively.

Seniors Michael Britvan and Jason Lapp, as well as juniors Brian Koralewski and Ryan Graham each grabbed runner-up finishes. Britvan in the 200-free (1:48.74), Lapp in the 50-free (22.65), Koralewski in the 100-free (48.39), and Graham in the 1-meter diving event (278.78).

The Bearcat women were led by a pair of victories by the freshman duo of Kelsey Anderson and Lyndsi Worthington. Anderson notched a first place victory in the 1,000-free clocking in at 11:04.70, while Worthington touched first in the 200-back with a time of 2:11.57.

Fellow freshman Brittany Detlef earned runner-up honors in the 200-fly (2:14.10).

Scouting the Retrievers
In the 2007-2008 season, the UMBC men’s swimming and diving team will vie for an unprecedented fifth-straight America East Conference title. The Retriever men enter Saturday’s meet with a 1-1 dual meet record, having topped Rider by a 170-125 margin before falling last weekend to Navy, 101-137.

On the women's side, the swimming and diving teams dropped their second straight meet, as they fell to America East conference-foe New Hampshire, 156-142 on Sunday at Swasey Pool. With the loss the Retrievers fell to 1-2 on the season, totaling more losses in their first three meets of the 2007-08 than they finished with in the 2006-07 season (10-1 record).

Three Retrievers picked up weekly conference awards two weeks ago as Justin Bronson was named the America East Men’s Swimming Performer of the Week and freshmen Seth McNew and Crystal Gall earned the men’s and women’s diving honors, respectively

Reviewing 06-07/Previewing 07-08
With first-year head coach Sean Clark at the helm, the men's and swimming and diving team enjoyed a historic 2006-07 season. The men's team finished with 6-3 dual meet record, runner-up honors at the America East Championship and sent its first male swimmer in school and conference history to the NCAA Division I Championships. The men face the tall task of replacing its much-heralded 2007 senior class, but with a strong cast of returnees and a number of impact newcomers this year's squad is prepared to fill the void and eager to leave its own mark on the program. The Bearcat women earned a seventh-place finish at the America East Championships and posted a pair of dual meet victories, highlighted by a solid win over conference rival Stony Brook. Youth is the name of the game for this year's women's squad which features 19 underclassmen, including nine freshmen and 10 sophomores.

Preseason Polls Announced
The Binghamton men's and women's swimming and diving teams have been picked to finish second and sixth, respectively, at the 2008 America East Swimming and Diving Championships, according to a poll by the league's head coaches, the conference announced Tuesday. UMBC was chosen to repeat as conference champions on both the men's and women's sides.

Conference releases:
Women S& D
Men S & D

UP NEXT
The Bearcats host defending Atlantic-10 Champions UMASS on Sunday, November 11 at 11 a.m.