BOSTON – The America East Conference selected UMBC's Tiago Asakawa (Sumaré ,Brazil) and Alicia Buteau (Roswell, Ga.) as the league' initial Male Swimmer and Female Diver of the Week respectively,

Asakawa, a graduate student, won both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events and anchored a pair of winning relays at the NJIT Invitational on Oct. 14-15. After winning the 50 free on Friday, Asakawa earned the double with a strong final 50 yards in the 100 freestyle, completing the four laps in 46.69.

He led a come-from-behind victory in the 400 freestyle relay finale. Asakawa covered the final 100 yards in 45.72, more than two seconds better than St. Francis Brooklyn, which owned the lead after 300 yards.  

On Saturday, Buteau, a freshman, kicked off the competition by triumphing in the 3-meter diving event. She amassed 203.45 points, best amongst divers from UMBC, Vermont and St. Francis Brooklyn.

The Retrievers will now compete at Navy on Saturday, Oct.22 at 11:00 a.m. The meet was originally scheduled as UMBC's home opener, but ongoing hot water repairs to buildings on the UMBC campus have necessitated the change of venue.