GREENVILLE, N.C. – UMBC freshman Emily Escobedo (New Rochelle, N.Y./Maria Regina) won all three of her individual events while senior Johan Rohtla (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) swept the men's backstroke events as UMBC swept Catawba but fell to East Carolina, Saturday afternoon at ECU's Minges Natatorium.
The men defeated Catawba, 188-110, but fell to the host Pirates, 158-140, and finish the dual meet season at 5-2. The Retriever women, meanwhile, downed the Indians, 176-112, but lost out to ECU, 174-121, to complete the dual meet season with a 4-3 record.
Escobedo upped her season win total to a team-best 13 by winning three events on Saturday. The freshman began her day by claiming the 100-yd. breaststroke title with a season-best time of 1:04.63. She then doubled her winnings and completed the sweep of the breaststroke events with a win in the 200-yd. race, again in a top season time (2:17.13). Escobedo capped her day by taking the top spot in the 200 IM (2:06.96).
Rohtla led the way for the men with his two wins, both in the backstroke, taking his season-total to nine. The senior opened his final dual meet by taking the 100 back title (52.07) and then finished the sweep by winning the 200 back by edging his season-best time in the event to 1:50.38.
Senior Mohamed Hussein (Cairo, Egypt/Victory College) helped the Retrievers capture both relay titles, in addition to earning his team-best 12th victory by winning the 200 IM (1:51.59). Hussein teamed with sophomore Leo Endres (Bamberg, Germany/Kaiser Heinrich Gymnasium), junior Lauri Kaei (Harjumaa, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science), and freshman Gregor Sporlein (Bamberg, Germany/Clavius-Gymansium) to win the 200 medley relay for the fourth time this season. He then anchored the 400 free relay with Sporlein, senior Evan Carey (Ponte Vedra, Fla./Grand Island), and Kaei to victory to end the meet.
Freshman Andrew McKissick (Ellicott City, Md./Mount St. Joseph's) won his second career dual meet event by touching first in the 1,000 free (9:34.14).
For the women, senior Talor Tadena (Orangevale, Calif./Bella Vista) earned her tenth win of the year by winning the 100 free (52.34) while sophomore Stephanie Romano (Arlington, Va./Yorktown/Towson) won her third event in two meets by taking the 500 free (5:05.57).
On the diving boards, senior Tim Perkins (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) and sophomore Corinna Darelius (Rye, N.Y./Rye) each won the 1-meter event. Perkins scored 255.75 to capture the men's event while Darelius posted a score of 254.02.
UMBC now enters the Championships portion of its schedule with the women scheduled to compete at the America East Championships (Feb. 13-16) and the men heading to Knoxville, Tenn. for the CCSA Championships (Feb. 19-22).
