Black Bear Swimmers Break Three More School-Records on Day Two of Championships

Highlights

ORONO, Maine -- Three more Maine swimming records fell on day two of the America East Championships held at Wallace Pool. Shannon Bender (Cumberland, R.I.) broke the 500-yard freestyle school-record mark while Naja Harvey (Orono, Minn.) set a new mark in the 50-yard freestyle. The women's 200-yard freestyle relay team also set a new mark of 1:35.57 in their event. After day two, the women are currently in fourth place with 188.5 points while the men are third at 191.

Shannon Bender (Cumberland, R.I.) set a new school-record in the 500-yard freestyle, breaking the old mark set in 2005, as she placed sixth with a new record time of 4:59.67. Naja Harvey (Orono, Minn.) broke the 50-yard freestyle mark, set by herself just a year ago, with a new time of 23.71 in the prelims. Harvey placed third in the finals of the event with a time of 23.75. The team of Harvey, Jenn Trodden (Reading, Mass.), Lauren Dwyer (Orono, Maine) and Emily Buczkowski (Woolwich, Maine) placed third in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a new school-record time of 1:35.57.

Carmen Linden (Ottawa, Ontario) placed eleventh in the consolation final of the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:05.19 while Kara Dubiel (Carefree, Ariz.) was 13th at 5:06.52. Courtney Norman (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) placed 16th in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:09.58.

Ryan Fahey (Quincy, Mass.) won the consolation in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:39.12. Fahey was followed by Yuri Chornobil (Rochester, N.Y.) in tenth at 4:43.59. Robbie Bickford (Milford, Maine) placed 12th with a time of 4:44.51 while David Vittori (South Berwick, Maine) was 13th at 4:45.28. Matt England (Bangor, Maine) finished 16th with a time of 4:53.48.

Dwyer won the consolation final in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:06.64, missing the school-record time by 0.49 seconds. In the men's 200-yard IM, Eric Gaulin (Northport, Maine) placed 11th with a time of 1:56.21 followed by Connor Devers (North Attleboro, Mass.) in 12th at 1:57.86, Cody Lachance (Winslow, Maine) in 13th at 1:58.47, Shane Kinnon (Malden, Mass.) in 14th at 1:59.37 and Will Hoffman (Waterville, Maine) in 15th at 2:06.18.

Trodden won the 50-yard freestyle consolation final with a time of 24.22 while Buczkowski finished second in the consolation final at 24.47. In the men's 50-yard freestyle, Joey Quinn (Bangor, Maine) finished eighth at 22.08. Sergey Terrio (Oakland, Maine) finished tenth at 22.29 while Caleb Hoffman (Waterville, Maine) placed 11th in 22.43. Jon Davis (Collierville, Tenn.) was 12th at 22.54 followed by Jake Olsen (Georgetown, Maine) in 13th at 22.75.

The Black Bear men's 200-yard freestyle relay team of Kinnon, Gaulin, Quinn and Cameron Dwyer (Orono, Maine) placed third at 1:26.86.

Kara Capossela (Greenwich, Conn.) started off the finals by placing fifth in the women's one-meter dive with a score of 234.50.

Prelims:

Harvey had the time of the day for Maine in the prelims as she set a new school-record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.71. Harvey's time was the second best of the morning session. Trodden placed tenth in the 50-yard freestyle at 24.27 and was followed by Buczkowski  in 11th at 24.35.

Bender started out the morning with a sixth place qualifying time of 5:01.75 in the women's 500-yard freestyle relay. Follow Bender in the 500-yard free was Linden, who placed teneth at 5:05.19 and Dubiel in 11th at 5:06.08. Norman finished 14th in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:09.51.

Fahey was the top finisher for Maine in the 500-yard freestyle as he placed ninth at 4:42.37. Yuri Chornobil placed 11th in the event at 4:44.96 and was followed closely by Vittori in 12th at 4:45.71. Bickford finished in 14th at 4:47.81 while Williams (4:48.97) and England (Bangor, Maine) (5:01.58) rounded out the field in 15th and 16th.

Dwyer was the top Black Bear finisher in the women's 200-yard IM as she placed 12th with a time of 2:09.02. On the men's side in the 200-yard IM,  Gaulin placed tenth with a time of 1:56.16. Kinnon finished 12th with a time of 1:58.18 while Devers was 13th at 1:58.32. Lachance placed 14th at 1:59.73 and was followed by Will Hoffman in 2:07.23.

Quinn set himself up for the finals in the 50-yard freestyle with an eighth place qualifying time of 22.09. Terrio finished ninth in the 50-free with a time of 22.24 while Caleb Hoffman placed 11th at 22.48. Davis finished 12th at 22.49 while Olsen came in 13th at 22.73.

Capossela ended the preliminary round on day two by qualifying fifth with a score of 223.30 on the one-meter boards.

The men's and women's swimming championship began again tomorrow morning at 10 AM.

-U-M-