RESULTS
Worcester, Mass.— UMBC swimming and diving completed the America East Championships on Sunday, winning their third straight title, and sixth overall. The Retrievers set a conference record, scoring 936.5 points, the first team to eclipse 900 points.
"We built on the momentum from day one, and used it to fuel us throughout the weekend. We got big contributions from everyone this weekend, and we are proud of what the ladies accomplished," head coach Chad Cradock said after the meet. "We have a lot of depth, and it showed this weekend. It's hard to win without depth and everyone on our team contributed to this title."
Senior Emily Escobedo completed her final America East Championships in grand fashion, winning yet another medal, this time in the 200 breast. She outraced the field, touching in with a new school, conference and meet record time of 2:06.20. The time was 12 seconds faster than her teammate Kayla Lilly who finished in second place (2:18.08). The time was also good enough for an NCAA A cut.
"We are grateful for everything Emily has done for this program. She has always been team first and has shown a commitment to the program from day one and we are excited to see what she can do at NCAA's this year," Cradock said of his senior.
Hania Moro led a trio of Retrievers on the podium in the 1,650 free. Moro won gold with a time of 16:51.50. Laura Massicotte and Carly Waters went two-three in the event, touching in with times of 17:00.68 and 17:01.90.
The Retrievers followed that up with another sweep, led by Emily Vance in the 200 back. Vance touched in with a time of 2:00.63 to earn gold, adding to her bronze in the 100 back earlier. Aleasha Knight came in second with a time of 2:01.36 while Kylie Danin finished with bronze in 2:01.93.
Haylee Committe led the Dawgs in the 100 free, earning fourth with a time of 51.62. Alissa Caulfield came in sixth with a time of 51.93 in the race.
In the final event of the day, the 400 free relay team of Escobedo, Caulfield, Committe, and Massicotte went toe-to-toe with New Hampshire, but were just out-touched at the wall. New Hampshire won by .01 of a second with a time of 3:23.07.
Escobedo was named Most Oustanding Swimmer for the fourth time, while also earning the Dave Alexander Coaches Award for most points scored.
Classmate Lauren Day was named the America East Elite 17 recipient, while head coach Chad Cradock and staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Retrievers will head back to the pool at the ECAC Championships in a couple weeks. This year the championships will be held in Annapolis, Md. at the U.S. Naval Academy from March 3-5.
FINAL STANDINGS:
1. UMBC – 936.5
2. New Hampshire – 717.5
3. Vermont - 668
4. Maine – 396.5
5. Binghamton – 364.5
