Women's Swimming and Diving 11/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Swimming and Diving Seizes Control in Day 2 of Patriot Invitational Saturday

FAIRFAX, Va. - The UMBC men's and women's swimming and diving teams took control during Day 2 of the Patriot Invitational in Fairfax, Va. with both teams finishing the day in first place. The men have 644.5 points, a lead of 115.5 over UNCW, while the women have 688 points and a lead of 103 over UNCW.

Senior Sam Maccherola (Woolford, Md./South Carroll/Tennessee) claimed gold in the women's 200 free in a time of 1:49.49, while freshman Amy Fay (Haverhill, Mass/Haverhill) earned bronze in 1:53.73.

In the men's 200 free, UMBC went 1-2 with junior Eric Jones (Gambrills, Md./Arundel) winning the gold in 1:41.12 and freshman Herol Marjak (Harjumaa, Estonia/Tallinn Sec Science School) the silver in 1:42.34.

In the 100 breast on the women's side, the Retrievers 1-3-4, with senior Tina Cantwell (Sinking Spring, Pa./The Hill School) touching first in 1:04.43, fellow senior Tereza Kaplanova (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnazium J.G. Jankovskeho) claiming the bronze and junior Gaby Johnston (Windsor, Conn./Loomis Chaffee School) earning fourth.

On the men's side, senior Matt Mattingly (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) earned the silver in the 100 breast in a UMBC season-best time of 57.1 just moments after earning fourth in the 100 fly in 50.94. Sophomore Ben Wolbert (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) claimed bronze in the 100 fly in 50.84.

In the women's 100 fly senior Jennifer Esposito (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst/C.W. Post) claimed silver in 56.82, while senior Lindsay Sherman (Bethany, Conn./Amity) and junior Sarah Ryan (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Oceanside) touched fourth and fifth. Ryan's time of 57.57 is the 10th fastest time in school history.

In the 400 IM, junior Rebecca Godwin (Catonsville, Md./Notre Dame Prep) earned bronze in the women's in 4:32.92, while juniors Mat Carson (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute) and Dan Weston-Dawkes (Ellicott City, Md./Wilde Lake) finished fourth and fifth in the men's.

Kaplanova claimed bronze in the 100 back in 58.22, the fifth fastest time in UMBC history, while sophomore Kelsey Fitzpatrick (Delran, N.J./Delran) finished sixth in 59.08, the ninth fastest time in school history. Freshman Sandy Haibel (Rockville, Md/Richard Montgomery)'s time of 51.33 in the 100 back is the ninth fastest time in school history.

In the men's 3-meter diving, freshman Andrew Eckhoff (Chelmsford, Mass/Chelmsford) placed fifth in the finals with a life-time best score of 273.70.

In the 200 medley relay, the team of Haibel, Matt Mattingly, senior Zach Vonder Haar (Gahanna, Ohio/Columbus Academy) and sophomore Jason Mattingly (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) touched second in the men's in 1:33.27. The women's side of Kaplanova, Cantwell, Esposito and sophomore Abbey McKenney (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) claimed bronze in 1:46.55.

In the 800 free relay, the women's "A" team of Fay, Esposito, sophomore Ashley Sippel (Rockville, Md./Thomas Wootton) and Maccherola claimed second in 7:32.53, while the "B" team of Godwin, junior Danielle Cruz (Catonsville, Md./Western Tech), freshman Tara Morrissette (Somersworth, N.H./Saint Thomas Aquinas) and Ryan earned bronze in 7:42.55.

In the men's 800 free relay, the "A" team of Marjak, Wolbert, junior Keilan Freeman (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Argyll Centre) and Jones finished second in a time of 6:54.27, while the "B" team of sophomores Mark Garbowski (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) Tim Deklau (Gambrills, Md./Arundel) and Evan Danz (Woodstock, Md./Loyola Blakefield) and freshman Alex Moothart (Hopkinton, Mass/Hopkinton) touched third in 7:00.46.

The final day of competition is Sunday with the prelim session at 9 a.m. and the finals session starting at 5 p.m.