FAIRFAX, VA. – UMBC senior
swimmer Abbey
McKenney (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) broke the Patriot
Invitational record and set a school-record in the 100-yard back
(56.17) and helped the 800 free relay (7:30.80) set a meet mark as
both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams extended their
leads at the three day meet at George Mason University.
For the day, the Retrievers picked up four individual wins and
swept the 800 free relays in Day 2 of the competition.
Patty
Hallberg (Severna Park, Md./Broadneck) got the Retrievers
started for the day claiming victory in the 400 IM, with
teammate Tara
Morrissette(Somersworth, N.H./Saint Thomas Aquinas) not far
behind, taking third.
McKenney, the 2011 America East Most Outstanding Swimmer, then
took center stage with her record breaking win. Also in
the 100 back, the Retrievers took three of the top four spots
as Elise
Blaschke (Sewell, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) finished
second and Klara
Pavelkova (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnasium Pripotocni)
claimed fourth, while Kathryn
Moorby (Cape May, N.J./Lower Cape May Regional)
and Victoria
Weston-Dawkes (Ellicott City, Md./Wilde Lake) earned
points with a seventh place and 12th finish,
respectively.
Swimming in their first 800 free relay of the year, the
Retrievers made the most of it. With the women leading
off, McKenney got UMBC going staking the team out to a
lead. Ashley
Miller (New Smyrna Beach, Fla./New Smyrna Beach)
and Ashley
Sippel (Rockville, Md./Thomas Wootton) then maintained the
lead forErika
Ronning (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) to anchor
the relay and set a new meet record. The relay
of Jennifer
Kotonias (Burtonsville, Md./Academy of Holy
Cross), Amy
Fay (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill),Laura
Tilman (Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades), Mariana
Alvarado Gorda (Colonia Viveros, Mexico/Universidad Valle de
Mexico) took third for the Retrievers.
In the men's heat, UMBC took the top two awards to distance
themselves from the pack. The team of Johan Rohtla (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallin Secondary
Science), Brian Keane (Hanson, Mass./Boston College
HS/Arizona),Mike McGee (Chalfont, Pa./La Salle College HS),
and Pierre De Waal (Pretoria, South Africa/Tuks
Sport/Cleveland State) took top honors (6:47.01), finishing just
under a second off the meet record pace set by the Retrievers back
in 2008.
Earlier in the day De Waal had set himself up for the double an
individual win in the 200 free (1:39.89). This win gives
him two individual wins for the meet after claiming gold in the 500
free on Thursday. Just two events later, Stephen Gallagher (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) made it
two in a row as the senior took home the win in the 100-yard
breaststroke.
Both the men and women look to close out another title at the
Patriot Invitational as the meet concludes with the third and final
day Saturday at George Mason beginning at 10 a.m.
