Mohamed
Hussein won three events vs. Navy |
BALTIMORE – The 400-yd. free relay
team of sophomore Lauri
Kaei (Harjumaa, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science),
junior Evan
Carey (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island), and
seniors Steve
Gallagher (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) and Mohamed
Hussein (Cairo, Egypt/Victory College) won going away to
clinch the meet victory as the UMBC men's swimming and diving team
downed Navy, 156-144, Friday evening at the UMBC Aquatic
Complex. The UMBC women's team lost a close decision to
the Mids, falling 164-136, despite freshman Corinna
Darelius (Rye, N.Y./Rye) sweeping the diving events.
The men's win was the first for the UMBC swimming and diving
programs over the U.S. Naval Academy since the women defeated the
Mids on Oct. 29, 2005 and the first for the men since winning by
one point, 122-121, in 2004.
"I am so proud of our teams tonight," said head coach Chad
Cradock. "We knew it was going to be a fight and be
close all the way until the end because it always is with
Navy. I'm so excited for our teams for the win and the
effort and I hope we can keep the momentum rolling."
The men's 400 relay capped a great day for the Retrievers' relay
teams as the Black and Gold won all four of the relay events.
Twelve different Retrievers won individual events on Friday,
paced by three victories for Hussein. The junior once again
showed his versatility, winning the 200 free (1:41.60), 100 fly
(51.11), and 200 IM (1:52.81) while also anchoring the 400 free
relay.
No other men won more than one event, but contributions from the
whole squad earned the team victory. Kaei and countryman
junior Johan
Rohtla (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) each
picked up their first event wins of the year, winning the 100 back
(52.32) and 200 back (1:52.31),
respectively. Freshman Leo
Endres (Bamberg, Germany/Kaiser Heinrich Gymnasium) won
his second career event, claiming victory in the 100 breaststroke
(59.34).
UMBC swept all four of the diving events, led by Darelius' two
wins on the women's side. The freshman won the 1-meter
event with a score of 234.90 and followed it up with 229.43 points
for the 3-meter win.
For the men, sophomore Carson
Wong (Hong Kong/Kowloon Technical School) won his first
career event, the 1-meter competition, with a score of 277.65,
while senior Andrew
Eckhoff (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) won the 3-meter
event, scoring 295.12 points.
Also for the women, senior Amy
Fay (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) claimed the top spot in
the 500 free (5:06.16) while classmate Jennifer Kotonias (Burtonsville, Md./Academy of
Holy Cross) won her first event of the season, the 200 butterfly
(2:04.76). Junior Erika
Ronning (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) also picked
up a win for the Retrievers, earning the victory in the 100 free
(53.72).
UMBC now has the weekend off from competition before heading
down I-95 to take on George Washington on Saturday, Oct. 27 in
Washington, D.C.
