AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, February 13 – Sunday, February 16
- WPI Sports and Recreation Center, Worcester, MA (Eastern Time Zone)
- Defending Champion: UMBC Men (4x) & UMBC Women (1x) (results)
- Day 1 Recap|Day 2 Recap|Day 3 Recap
- Live Video
- Championship Central
- Results (Day 4)
- Full Results
The 2020 America East Swimming and Diving Championships concluded tonight with the 1650 free, 200 fly, 200 back, 200 breast, 100 free, and 400 free relay. The UMBC men cemented their 5th-straight title, while the New Hampshire women defeated 2019 champion UMBC.
New Hampshire’s Anna Metzler set her 3rd America East Record and 4th Meet Record as she swept her individual events. She now owns back-to-back titles in the 200 back. Metzler put up a lifetime best 1:57.17 to clear the records by half a second and was subsequently named the women’s America East 2020 Most Outstanding Swimmer. Metzler broke America East Records in the 200 free (as the leadoff of the 800 free relay), 500 free, and 200 back. She set School Records and Meet Records in each of those events plus the 400 IM, where she’s now around a second shy of what it took to make NCAAs in 2019.
Freshman teammate Olivia Stille captured her first title in the 100 free. The Swedish sprinter raced to a 50.89. She also led off the 400 free relay in 51.26, joining 2nd leg Metzer (49.91), 3rd leg Cate Wardinski (52.09), and anchor Corinne Carbone (51.53) as New Hampshire won it in 3:24.79. Carbone won an individual title in the 200 fly, taking 3 seconds off her best in 2:00.21.
Carbone was honored with the 2020 Coaches Award, which is given to the senior who has earned the most points throughout their 4 years in the America East Conference. Carbone had earned her 3rd-straight title in the 200 IM here and placed 2nd to Metzler in the 400 IM. She earned 3-straight titles in the 400 IM throughout her first 3 years and was the 2019 200 breast champion. Her 3rd event changed in each of her 4 years. She was 4th in the 200 back in 2017 and 3rd in the 100 free in 2018.
The Wildcats earned another title from a freshman as Jamy Lum won the 200 breast. She dropped a second with her 2:13.36, earning the women’s 2020 Most Outstanding Rookie Award. Lum had also won the 100 breast and placed 2nd behind Metzler in the 500 free.
Kai Wisner secured a sweep of his individual events for UMBC. Wisner was just half a second shy of the America East Record in the 1650 free, winning in 15:21.92. He successfully defended his title, dropping 2 seconds and earning the men’s 2020 America East Most Outstanding Swimmer honor. Wisner has another year to go after that record. Wisner won the mile, 500 free, and 400 IM at this meet. The Retrievers also won the women’s mile, as 2019 runner-up Vanessa Esposito took the title in 17:11.28.
Teammate Ilia Rattsev won the 2020 Coaches Award for earning the most individual points throughout their 4 years in the America East conference. In prelims, he matched his 100 free best with a 43.92. He went on to win the final in 44.14. Rattsev was also the 50 free and 200 free champion. He swept those events for the 3rd-straight season.
The men’s 2020 Most Outstanding Rookie was teammate Niklas Weigelt, who earned bronze in the 100 free (45.12). Weigelt also finished 4th in the 50 free and 2nd behind Rattsev in the 200 free. They both contribute to the winning 400 free relay (2:58.82), as Rattsev led off in 44.06 and Weigelt swam a 44.98 on the 3rd leg.
Garrett Wlochowski, who finished 2nd to Wisner in the 500 free, completed his sweep of the backstrokes for UMBC. He dropped a second from his best to win the 200 back in 1:45.34. Binghamton’s Ryan Board swept the breaststroke titles to help his team to a runner-up finish. Board dropped nearly 3 seconds to win the 200 breast in 2:01.52.
FINAL TEAM SCORES – WOMEN
- New Hampshire, University of 876
- Umbc Swimming & Diving 759.5
- Vermont, University of 493.5
- Binghamton University 486.5
- Maine, University of, Orono 396
- Stony Brook University 253.5
- Virginia Military Institute 129
FINAL TEAM SCORES – MEN
- Umbc Swimming & Diving 1051
- Binghamton University 807
- Maine, University of, Orono 575
- Virginia Military Institute 468