BEARCAT SWIMMING WEEKLY RELEASE - November 8, 2007

Swimming and Diving hosts UMass Sunday
The Binghamton swimming and diving teams will host their third meet of the season when they welcome the UMass Minutemen to the Patricia A. Saunders Aquatic Center on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Bearcat swimming and diving falls to UMBC
Last Saturday, in the second dual meet of the year, the BU men's and women's swimming and diving teams fell to defending league champion UMBC. The Retriever men were victorious by a 170-127 margin, while the Retriever women won by a score of 172-125.

Freshman Lyndsi Worthington and junior diver Kate Hassfurter were both double-event winners to lead the BU women's efforts. Worthington took the 100-back in 1:01.84 and capped off her day with a victory in the 200-back (2:15.58). Hassfurter earned first-place honors in both diving events, taking the 1-meter with 225.37 points and the 3-meter board with a total of 240.82 points.

On the men's side, senior Matt Russo and junior Ryan Graham made it a clean sweep for the Binghamton diving squad as the Bearcat men swept both boards as well. Russo took home top honors on the 3-meter board, while Graham won the 1-meter event (277.72).

Senior Joe Rogan and juniors Andrew Palumbo and Brenno Varanda each recorded individual wins during the meet as well.

For full meet recap and results click here...

Scouting the Minutemen
The UMass Men's team won their ninth A-10 Championship title in 2006-07 and look to go for their 10th title this season. The men’s squad currently owns a 1-2 dual meet mark, with a win over Stony Brook and a pair of defeats at the hands of Boston University and Army.

As the Minutemen head toward their Perfect 10, the Minutewomen are coming off of their best season since winning the Atlantic 10 title in 2001. Last year the Minutewomen took second place in the A-10 Championships and are working to improve to number one in the 2007-08 season. They enter Sunday’s meet with a 2-1 dual meet record, having swam to victories over Stony Brook and Army and its lone defeat coming against Boston U.

Bearcat coaches face alma mater, former mentors
Second-year BU head coach Sean Clark and assistant Aimee Bourassa lead the Bearcats against their alma mater and former swim mentors. Clark swam for four New England Championship squads under Minutemen men’s head coach Russ Yarworth, highlighted by a pair of still-standing school-record relay efforts. He later held a pair of stints as an assistant from 1994-96 and 2000-03. Bourassa joined the Bearcat program prior to the 2006-07 season after concluding a stellar four-year career with the Minutewomen as a tri-captain for head coach Bob Newcomb.

Swim notes, streaks, etc.
The Bearcat women are led by a strong corps of underclassmen. Frist-year backstroker Lyndsi Worthington leads BU’s nine-member freshman class with a team-high three individual wins. The Kansas native swept the backstroke events on Saturday against UMBC. Her time in the 100-back was the fourth-fastest in school history.

Classmates Kelsey Anderson and Brittany Detlef have also stood out in the early season. Anderson notched her first collegiate win against Boston University in the 1,000-free, while Detlef has earned runner-up honors in two straight meets, in the 100- and 200-fly, respectively.

Brenno Varanda leads the Bearcat men with five individual wins on the season. Against UMBC, Varanda captured the 200-IM in a time of 1:58.53...Joe Rogan has won the 50-free in BU’s meets against both Boston U and UMBC. The victories were the first two of his collegiate career.

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