2011 AEC Saturday Prelims

BOYDS, Md.—26 members of the UMBC Swimming and Diving team qualified for the finals of Day Three of the 2011 America East Championships Saturday morning at the Germantown Indoor Swim Center.

Sophomore Jennifer Kotonias (Burtonsville, Md./Academy of Holy Cross) is seeded first in the women's 400-yard individual medley after posting a UMBC record and NCAA consideration time of 4:18.36. Fellow sophomore Tara Morrissette(Somersworth, N.H./Saint Thomas Aquinas) is ranked third with a time of 4:22.98, now the second-fastest time in school history.

Senior Rebecca Godwin (Catonsville, Md./Notre Dame Prep) will also compete in the championship final with a time of 4:26.88, the fourth-fastest time in UMBC history. Freshman Patty Hallberg (Severna Park, Md./Broadneck) will swim in the consolation final after posting a season-best time of 4:28.57, the sixth-best time in school history.

In the men's 200 free, senior Eric Jones (Gambrills, Md./Arundel) is ranked first with an NCAA consideration time of 1:38.08, the second-fastest time school history, while sophomore Pierre De Waal (Pretoria, South Africa/Tuks Sport/Cleveland State), who won the 500 free Friday night, is seeded second with a time of 1:40.08, the seventh-fastest school mark. Junior Mark Garbowski (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) and senior Keilan Freeman (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Argyll Centre) will also compete in the championship final.

Junior Abbey McKenney (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) will look for her second individual gold of the weekend after ranking first in the women's 200 free in a time of 1:50.04. Joining McKenney in the championship final will be sophomore Amy Fay (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill), who won the 500 free Friday night, and junior Ashley Sippel (Rockville, Md./Thomas Wootton), who's time of 1:52.01 ranks eighth all-time at UMBC.

Senior Danielle Cruz (Catonsville, Md./Western Tech), junior Ashley Miller (New Smyrna Beach, Fla./New Smyrna Beach) and freshman Erika Ronning (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) will take part in the consolation final.

In the men's 400 IM, seniors Mat Carson (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute) and Dan Weston-Dawkes (Ellicott City, Md./Wilde Lake) will compete in the championship final, while senior Phillip Novotny (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Warde), freshmanRico Bado (Georgetown, Texas/Georgetown) and Freeman will swim in the B final.

Sophomore Steve Gallagher (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) is seeded second in the men's 100 breast with a time of 57.03, the fifth-fastest time in school history, while junior John Mendenhall (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) and Notovtny also made the championship final.

The men will also have three competitors in the 100 back championship final, including sophomore Sandy Haibel (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery), freshman Johan Rohtla(Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) and junior Ben Wolbert (Finksburg, Md./Westminster), while junior Nour Saad (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) will swim in the consolation final.

Like the men, three Retriever women will compete in the 100 back championship final. JuniorKathryn Moorby (Cape May, N.J./Lower Cape May Regional) led the three with a time of 57.53, with senior Sarah Ryan (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Oceanside) and junior Laura Tilman(Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades) also competing in the final.

In the men's 100 fly, senior Brad Reitz (Ellicott City, Md./Howard), winner of the 200 IM Friday night, is seeded third with a time of 48.79, while Haibel and Wolbert are ranked fifth and sixth. Sophomore Herol Marjak (Harjumaa, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) will swim in the consolation final.

Ryan will represent the women in the 100 fly, while four Retrievers, senior Gaby Johnston(Windsor, Conn./Loomis Chaffee School), junior Pink Kinanti (Jakarta, Indonesia/The Bolles School), freshman Talor Tadena (Orangevale, Calif./Bella Vista) and Moorby will compete in the consolation final.

In the women's 100 breast, sophomore Claire Barron (Lowestoft, England/Benjamin Britten/New Orleans) and Tadena will swim in the championship final, while Johnston will swim in the B final. Tadena and Barron's times of 1:04.95 and 1:05.22 rank fourth and sixth all-time at UMBC, while Johnston's 1:05.37 ranks seventh.

In an exhibition time, sophomore Elise Blaschke (Sewell, N.J./Bishop Eustace Prep) swam a 57.04 100-yard backstroke, the second-fastest time in school history.

The action continues Saturday evening at 6 p.m. with the finals of the  400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, men's 3-meter diving and 400 medley relay.